The Outrider Chronicles: Book One
by Rayhne
Summary: What if there were already aliens on Earth before the Visitors arrived? Completed with final version!
1. Introduction

The Outrider Chronicles is an alternate universe version of V: The Final Battle, starting shortly after Julie is rescued and some time before the raid on the water plant. Everything that occurs in the first mini-series and in the second up to Ruby's funeral occurred in this series. Keep in mind that this is an alternate universe of V. While many things are the same, there will be differences. There is also a same-sex relationship in Book One. It is not graphic (except in an interlude posted only at my site.). The version of The Outrider Chronicles posted here is the PG-13 version. There is a more complete version, with information, graphics, and an x-rated interlude, posted at my web site (link found in my profile). After saying that, if you read the story and are offended by this, don't complain to me.

This book consists of 12 parts and 4 interludes. The xxx-rated interlude is found only at my web site.

This is not a crossover. However, characters from other media appear or are mentioned. To date these include: Are You Being Served?, Lou Grant, Modesty Blaise, and The Last Chapter.

The Outrider Chronicles came to me, quite literally, in a dream. Not the whole thing, of course, but the concept. Since then, it's taken a life of it's own, splitting off into three, quite possibly four, books. Book One was finished and posted then, when people pointed out conflicting events and missing information, rewritten and reposted (this version). Thanks to my beta readers (Karyl and Mary), both grammar and spelling have been corrected and scenes added or rewritten for clarification. While much of the story remains the same, some scenes have been rewritten and new scenes have been added to the following parts: 2, 6, 9, 11, 12b.

This is the final version of Book One, though there may be new interludes or mini-stories taking place in this time frame. There is at least one prelude to the entire series (Ham in London right before coming to LA) yet to be told. Other tales from before the coming of the Visitors will also be told as events unfold in the following books. Among them is how Ham met Will Garvin (Modesty Blaise's Cockney sidekick) and how he met Modesty herself. And then there's who Ham's grandfathers really are; both are prominent in Earth history. Who is the Piper, the Singer, the Dancer? And Coyote? As well as Blackie and the infamous Herself? (There's actually two Herselfs ...but that's an entirely different story.) We will eventually find out what happened to Ham's father and how Chris found out Ham's secret.

Book Two is being stubborn about being written. Due to the problems with it, I will not be posting it as I go (though I may email it to folks if they request it). Instead, you can find The Outrider Chronicles: Intermission at this site. This will be a series of short shorts covering what is going on all around the planet ... and off of it as well.


	2. Part One

Maggie Blodgett shivered as she made her way as quietly as she could down the dark corridor. The lights meant to illuminate the food processing planet had not yet been installed, leaving only the dim emergency lighting to dispel the gloom. As a result, the corridor was mostly shadows and in those shadows, Maggie could barely make out the forms of red uniformed bodies. Not that she was surprised by the body count. The mysterious duo that had so dramatically joined the LA Resistance less then a month ago seemed to have a knack for that sort of thing. Green blood lay thickly on the ground and she swallowed hard, realizing for the first time that the majority of the bodies had their throats cut. One such body lay in the dim light of an emergency light and she moved closer, knowing something was terribly off but not quite able to put her finger on it.

"Looking for something?" The voice was almost in her ear and she jerked around to see Ham Tyler standing there, dark eyes expressionless, a smear of green blood staining his face. Dark splotches of blood stained his clothes. His associate, Chris Farber, stood behind him, blue eyes dancing with amusement, crossbow cradled in his arms. His clothing, unlike his partner's, was relatively clean of blood. She wasn't surprised that Tyler had managed to sneak up on her but how the stoutly-built Chris managed it, she couldn't even guess at.

"You're going to get yourself shot doing that!" She hissed back.

Tyler's eyes flicked down to her gun, not quite raised level, and then back to her face, a sardonic look in his eyes. She bit back an angry retort. No one had actually won an argument with the enigmatic Tyler, though Donovan had been able to get him to back down when it came to rescuing their captured leader.

"We're done. Charges set."

Tyler nodded. "We're right behind you. Go."

Maggie hesitated, looking down at the corpse at her feet before turning and running back the way she'd come.

"Think she noticed anything?" Chris asked quietly.

Tyler looked at the corpse that had fascinated the woman then down at the blood staining his gloves, scowling darkly. "I don't think so. Let's go."

Chris shook his head as he followed his partner down the corridor. "You gotta stop taking these chances, man. Someone's gonna notice something sooner or later."

He knew Tyler heard him but the other man said nothing as they made their way out of the building.

------------------------------------------

The old army truck was hidden in the shadows of the trees, its engine running and ready to go. Her erstwhile boyfriend, Mark Bradley, was leaning out, offering his hand. She grabbed it and let him pull her into the truck. Caleb Tayler and Sancho Gomez, the last pair involved in this raid, were already there, fingering their weapons and eying the darkness nervously.

"They're right behind me." Maggie moved out of the way and looked out over Mark's shoulder.

"They get their charges set?" Caleb asked, not looking away from the trees.

"Yeah. I guess."

"Something wrong?" This time, Caleb did look at her. She chewed her lip nervously.

"I don't know. Just ... Something weird; I can't put my finger on."

"We're talking about Tyler, right?" Mark asked. "Weird's pretty much a given. Here they come."

The two men appeared out of the darkness, moving at an easy lope toward them. Maggie couldn't help but glance around nervously. This raid had been far too easy ... Before she could finish her thought, a movement caught her eye and she opened her mouth to shout a warning.

Later she would wonder if Tyler had caught the same movement or if he had seen the look on her face. All she knew then was that he was suddenly lunging forward, far quicker then she thought possible. His shoulder struck Chris hard, sending the bigger man to the ground then Tyler was skidding to a halt. His hand darted out to catch the grenade, swinging back then forward, throwing it back the way it had come. Ignoring Chris' cry, "Ham! Get down, damn it!". Tyler threw his arms up to protect his face and throat just as the grenade exploded. He was thrown backwards by the blast, landing in a sprawled heap almost on top of his partner.

Chris' curses blistered the air as the others sprayed the woods with gunfire, covering for Caleb and Sancho as they jumped out of the truck. The big man was already up on one knee, kneeling next to Tyler, his gun in hand as he searched the woods for a target.

"Get him in the truck!" Chris ordered.

The two men didn't argue, despite the certainty that they were rescuing a dead man. That certainty vanished when Caleb hauled an arm slicked with blood over his neck and got a sharp cry of pain in response. Sancho jumped and swore but got the other arm over his shoulder and together they dragged him to the truck, handing him up to Mark and Maggie while Chris laid down cover.

Maggie gritted her teeth against a wave of nausea at the feel of blood and torn flesh beneath her hands then she and Mark were laying Tyler down on the floor of the truck. She knelt next to him and almost immediately blood soaked through the knees of her jeans. Chris appeared on Tyler's other side and Caleb was leaning past him to thump the back of the truck hard, signaling the driver to go. Mark and Sancho continued to fire into the woods until they were clear.

"Was it a trap?" Maggie managed to gasp.

"No, I don't think so." Caleb grunted. "They would have stopped us before we set the bombs if it were. Hand me that lantern, will you? Sancho, Mark, keep an eye out for anyone following." Moving to Chris' side, he flipped on the lantern and raised it high, swearing venomously at what he saw.

The shrapnel from the grenade had torn gaping wounds in Tyler's chest and arms, visible through the torn remnants of his clothing. His face was covered with blood from a gash in his temple; another gash ran along the side of his neck. Blood still trickled from the gashes but not nearly enough considering the severity of the wounds. Yet the torn and bloody chest was rising and falling raggedly and they could all hear the harsh, gasping breaths. But the wounds that could be seen were deep and ugly. Too ugly.

"Chris ..."

"He's still alive." Chris said curtly.

"Even if he makes back to base ..." Caleb didn't finish the sentence. He didn't have to. They all knew their medical situation. Tyler would need a fully equipped hospital and, even then, Caleb doubted he could survive.

Chris didn't answer, just crouched next to his friend, his face an expressionless mask. Tyler's body jerked and Chris rested his hand on a torn shoulder, murmuring words too softly for the others hear. Caleb hesitated, wanting to say something but knowing there wasn't anything he could say. In the short time the duo had been with them, the intense friendship between them had become almost legendary, so close they seemed to be able to read each other's minds. He had even heard crude speculation about the possible extent of the pair's relationship, though no one had yet dared to say anything within the earshot of either man. Setting the lantern down next to Chris, he moved back to sit against the side of the truck, listening to Tyler's labored breathing and feeling a stab of shame at his wish that the sound would stop.

Still kneeling next to Tyler, Maggie reflected that the worst part was that Tyler was conscious. She didn't know if the others realized that but she could see his eyes, see the sharp glint of agony in them and she had to look away. She looked down instead. Tyler's gloved hand rested near her knee and she found herself studying it with a detached air. Red blood slicked the floor but there was green blood on the glove. Not surprising, considering their mission tonight. But something about the placement of the green blood ...

Still feeling strangely detached, Maggie reached down to take Tyler's hand, turning it to look at the blood-stained tips of the glove. Each tip was slit and through the slits she could see a glint of ivory. Realization flooded her. Not fingernails but ...

She gasped in pain and surprise as Chris caught her wrist hard enough to grate bone. Looking up, she saw something surprisingly like panic in his eyes. Panic and a hint of fear.

"What the hell? Let her go!" Mark jerked Chris back, breaking his grip on Maggie's wrist. "Maggie, what ..."

Maggie didn't bother to answer, she just reached down to peel off the glove, staring at what the move revealed. "That's what was bothering me about those dead Visitors. Their throats weren't cut. They were slashed." She raised Tyler's hand into the light. "By claws." And there were claws, retracted but there. No fingernails, just sharp claws slicked green.

"Clever ... girl." The words came out in bubbling gasps and Maggie almost dropped his hand in surprise. She looked up to meet pain-filled eyes, surprised at the amount of clear awareness in them. "Wondered ... if you ... had noticed."

"You should be dead!" She blurted out.

Tyler choked briefly, blood accompanying his next words. "If I were ... human, I ... would be." His body jerked violently.

"Mind the claws!" Chris wrenched his wrist free of Mark's grip and grabbed Tyler's hand from hers just as the hand clenched uncontrollably. The claws appeared briefly then were gone, buried now in the back of Chris' hand. Chris hissed and visibly winced, his face going white but he made no sound as violent spasms wracked the other man's body. The convulsion seemed to last forever but finally it eased, leaving Tyler gasping hoarsely for breath. His hand relaxed and the claws, now covered with red blood as well as green, eased from his friend's now torn flesh, disappearing into their finger-tip sheaths.

"You'd think ... by now ... you'd know not ... to ... do that." Tyler's words came out in jerky gasps.

"You'd think." Chris set the hand down gently, ignoring his own bleeding wounds. "You might wanna move back, kid. Another bad spasm and he might tear your leg open."

Maggie glanced down at the hand resting dangerously close to her leg and hastily moved back. "What the hell are you?"

"Does it ... matter?" Tyler's body spasmed again and there was the sound of tortured metal as claws dug into the floor. Sancho muttered something and crossed himself.

Maggie swallowed hard at the sight of the gashes the claws left behind. "'If I were human' ... Not human." The thought flared in her mind. "No more human then a Visitor." That thought made her sick but overshadowing it was the clear memory of Tyler shoving Chris clear of the grenade and then deliberately standing between him and the sharp shrapnel. She blinked the image away to see Tyler watching her. There was no frigid coldness, no bleak hardness in his eyes now; just an all consuming pain. "As long as you're not bleeding green, I guess not. At least not for the moment. So what the hell do we do now?" She looked up at Chris. "Is there anything that we can do?"

Chris cradled his injured hand against his chest, studying her coolly. The panic had faded, leaving behind an odd look of relief mixed with a trace of fear. Not fear for himself but for Tyler and she shivered as she realized that Chris was afraid of they might do. _"Not human. But not Visitor."_ She thought firmly. "What can we do to help?"

Chris looked down at his friend. "Not much we can do. He'll heal faster if there wasn't anything in the way ..."

"He can heal this?!" Mark's voice held disbelief.

"Yeah." His voice was firm but there was a clear note of uncertainty. "Right now, his body's trying to work the shrapnel out itself. That's what's causing the convulsions. But I can't do anything about it. At least not easily."

Caleb sighed. "How many of your fingers are broken?"

Chris flushed slightly. "At least two."

"How long before we reach base?" Sancho asked, turning so he could keep an eye out of the back of the truck and yet see what was going on behind him.

"At least 45 minutes." Caleb replied. He looked down at Tyler and winced. "These kinds of wounds, he should at least be unconscious."

"High ... threshold ... of pain." Tyler gasped. " ... not ... a blessing." He coughed raggedly, blood oozing from his mouth and nose.

"Damn it." Caleb muttered, wishing he was anywhere but here. He knew the others were looking to him for an idea of how to react to this situation. A part of him wanted nothing to do with Tyler, with someone ... something ... not human but innate common decency was overpowering dislike. Tyler was obviously suffering and he couldn't not do anything about it. "Here, Maggie, take the lantern. Maybe we can at least get the jacket and shirt cut off. See how bad it is. I'll need a knife. A sharp knife."

Reaching down, Chris pulled a knife from his boot, offering it to him. Caleb sighed as he gingerly took the knife.

"Man, this is not how I envisioned my life." He muttered as he tried to figure out where to start. They couldn't unzip the jacket; the zipper was twisted by shrapnel. He carefully slid the blade between wrist and sleeve and began to cut, working the cloth free of the wounds. Despite his efforts to be gentle, Tyler jerked, moaning with pain and Caleb almost dropped the knife.

"Look, if he has such a good chance of surviving, couldn't we just wait until we get back to base?" Mark said, sounding queasy. "Put him under ..."

"Won't work." Chris said, reaching out to rest his uninjured hand lightly on his friend's head, slipping off the stocking cap Tyler wore. "He'll burn it off faster then you can give it to him. Unless you give him a lot, which could be dangerous. Same with pain-killers. The sooner the fragments are removed, the faster he can start to heal."

"Yeah, that figures." Caleb braced himself and resumed cutting. Luckily, the knife was very sharp and he was able to do it quickly, wincing as he caught sight of the terrible gashes, made even more eerie by the lack of bleeding. "I think this arm is broken. Not that I'm surprised."

"Clean break, I hope?" Chris asked tersely.

"I think so." His eyes flicked to the big man, suddenly realizing that he was taking it for granted that Chris was human. "What about you?"

"What about me?" From his expression, Chris knew exactly what Caleb was asking. He stretched out his hand to show the bleeding wounds caused by the claws, the swollen fingers, and, most importantly, the fingernails on each finger. "I'm as human as you are. And I wouldn't take that damn healing ability if you paid me!"

"I second that. So far." Caleb muttered. "But this doesn't make sense. Ability to heal, okay. Good thing. Maybe. But there must be something for times like this, when he's so badly hurt."

Tyler made a sound the others realized was a laugh, broken by the bubbling of blood then a spasm of coughing. Caleb quickly moved the knife away.

"There is. Kinda." Chris moved his hand to Tyler's shoulder. "A real deep sleep. Coma almost. Heals faster. Only thing is, once he's in it, it's almost impossible to get out of."

"Which means he doesn't want to get into it." Caleb frowned.

"More like can't get into. It's complicated."

"_Mi Dios_." Sancho muttered. Setting his rifle down, he moved to Tyler's other side. "It'll be quicker if there are two of us doing this." He pulled his knife from his belt and started to cut the other sleeve off.

"We better get that hand wrapped, Chris." Maggie had set the lantern down and pulled out their meager first aid kit. Chris didn't protest as she wiped blood from the punctures, marveling that Tyler hadn't torn the flesh even worse. She wrapped it as best she could, trying not to jostle the broken fingers. Chris murmured a quiet 'thanks' as she finished and she started to put the kit away. Hesitating, Maggie glanced at Tyler's bloody face. Pulling a bandanna from her pocket, she wet it thoroughly then shifted to kneel by Tyler's head.

Tyler felt the coolness of wet cloth brush his face, wiping away the blood that clotted his nose and mouth. Thankfully, he took as deep a breath as he could manage, trying to ignore the pain that tore at him. _"Pain is a tool; take control of it and make it work for you!" _Control ... He closed his eyes, drawing on his training, working to get the pain consuming him under his control. He was only partially successful. There was just too much pain, too many injuries. By all rights, he should be safely in the healing sleep but current circumstances prevented him from entering it. He opened his eyes to stare at the canvas ceiling, dimly aware of the activity around him.

Maggie rinsed the bandanna out and re-wet it with alcohol, cleaning the long gash running along the side of Tyler's neck. A little to one side and it would have taken out his jugular. She doubted even he could have survived that. Cleaning away the blood revealed something else as well, an intricate indigo-hued design roughly the size of a half-dollar behind Tyler's left ear. She was surprised it hadn't been seen before then she noticed that part of the design was still covered with flesh-colored makeup. Tyler had obviously worked at keeping it hidden and she wondered what it was. A glance at Chris showed him to be intent on watching Caleb and Sancho and Maggie quelled her curiosity. She could ask later

"This arm's broken too." Sancho said quietly. "Actually, wrist. I think. Maybe both."

"Not surprised." Chris grunted. "Lots of shrapnel flying around."

"Bone can heal?" Caleb gently worked cloth free.

"If it's aligned correctly, it can heal very quickly."

"Ugh. I draw the line at re-aligning bone." Caleb muttered then jerked back as a spasm jerked Tyler's body. Sancho wasn't so quick and his knife carved another bloody gash in Tyler's side.

"That can wait." Chris assured them as they waited for the convulsion to ease.

Sancho and Caleb were finding it was quicker with two of them working at cutting away the bloody cloth but no less messy nor nerve-wracking. Twice more they had to back off and wait out the severe convulsions that wracked Tyler's body and both of them were covered with blood by the time they finished stripping off the ruined cloth. One piece refused to come free and, muttering curses, Sancho gritted his teeth and pulled it hard, literally tearing it free of blood and shrapnel, a move that started another convulsion and almost sent Sancho climbing the side of the truck.

"Hope he doesn't hold a grudge." He said fervently.

"Not ... in this ... case ... slick." Tyler managed to gasp, making the others jump. Maggie steadied herself, reaching down to wipe away the blood that had come with the words. She was surprised to see a flash of gratitude in Tyler's eyes.

"Man, what does it take to put you out?" Sancho dropped back to Tyler's side and pulled away the cloth they had cut from Tyler's body, tossing it to one side.

"You don't wanna know." Chris said sharply. "Trust me, you really don't wanna know."

"There's the base." Mark interrupted.

"_Agradezca a dios._" Sancho said fervently.

Caleb grunted in agreement. "When we get there, Mark, you run get a stretcher. Maggie, find Donovan and Julie and send them to the infirmary."

"That might not be a good idea." Chris said slowly.

"She's the closest thing to a doctor we got, damn it!" Caleb snapped, not really wanting to defend their leader, just recently rescued from the Visitors. Chris looked ready to argue but Tyler said something in words none of them could understand and the other man subsided, though he didn't look happy about it.

"We all clear?" Caleb asked Mark, jerking his head toward the back of the truck.

"Yep, no one behind us. Or above us."

The truck began to slow and Mark threw the canvas back, swinging out as the truck came to a stop, running for the mock doctor's office that served as the infirmary. Maggie followed, heading for the trailer-dorms. With a sense of relief, Caleb dropped the knife he was still holding and made his way to the opening. Being after midnight, the dirt street of the mock movie ranch was fairly empty, save for the occasional sentry. Returns from raids had become so common that no one came out to see what was happening.

"How's the hand?" He asked Chris.

"Hurts like hell." Chris had slipped off his jacket and draped it over Tyler, covering those horrible wounds.

"Not for the first time, I take it."

Chris hesitated then pulled up the sleeve of his injured hand. Four parallel scars ran the length of his forearm.

Caleb whistled. "Well, at least he's consistent with what arm he takes out."

"Reflex reaction. He can't help it." Chris pulled the sleeve back down.

"What the hell happened?" The driver, Natalie Barnes, appeared around the corner of the truck. "From the sounds of it ... My God! What the hell happened?" She repeated at her first sight of the blood covering Caleb.

Caleb glanced down, shaking his head. "Not mine." He looked past her. "Here comes Mark. Move, Barnes."

"Here." Mark handed up the stretcher.

"Good. Let's get him inside and hope we don't set off another convulsion."

No convulsion started but Tyler's entire body was shuddering uncontrollably by the time they got him shifted onto a metal table. Caleb stepped back, looking at Chris inquiringly. Chris looked away but not before Caleb saw the worry in his eyes.

"He's been awake too long." Chris muttered.

"And that's a problem?"

"Could be. I don't know."

Julie rushed into the room, pausing to get her bearings before moving to Tyler's side. She reached out to pull the jacket away.

"What the hell happened?" Donovan followed Julie in, Maggie right behind him. "Maggie wasn't making much sense ..." Donovan started then he swore as Tyler's hand shot up, closing on Julie's wrist. Sharp claws, already stained red and green, were unsheathed, ready to tear into all too frail flesh. Julie cried out, more with surprise than pain and looked up to meet Tyler's eyes, normally unreadable but now filled with an indescribable agony.

"Tyler, don't!" Caleb grabbed Tyler's wrist, squeezing hard in an attempt to loosen his grip. Tyler cried out in pain and Caleb realized that this was the wrist Sancho thought might be broken. "Damn it. Chris ..."

"Convulsion." Sancho said suddenly. "Reflex reaction." Then he began to swear. Chris was next to Tyler's head, talking to him in a low urgent voice. Donovan moved to Caleb's side, trying to get the tightly clenched fingers loose. Julie kept her eyes locked on Tyler's, seeing distrust and agony war with each other then the strong fingers shifted on her arm, sending a sharp pang of fear through her before she realized that he was trying to force his hand to open.

"If he goes into a convulsion holding her arm, he'll tear it open. Or off. Damn it! There!" The fingers were loosening, opening enough for Donovan to jerk Julie's arm free then the hand snapped closed, tearing his own flesh as the convulsion took hold of him. Sancho and Caleb barely managed to keep him on the table.

"Still think I wasn't making sense?" Maggie asked.

"You gotta admit, it's kinda hard to believe." Donovan watched as the convulsion finally eased. "Is anyone else hurt?"

"Chris' hand is torn up. Other then that, all this blood you see is his." Caleb nodded at Tyler. "There's more in the truck. A lot more."

"I take it a blood transfusion would be out of the question." Julie returned to Tyler's side, this time removing the jacket with no interference. She sucked in her breath at the sight of the ghastly wounds.

"Got it in one." Chris replied, taking the jacket from her. "No blood will match."

"And Maggie said no anesthetic would work. But there's something that can be done?"

Chris just nodded.

"I'm going to need help. Maggie, can you send over Robert and Father Andrew? And Harmony, as well."

"Sure. You need us back?" Maggie asked in a tone that hoped she said no.

Julie smiled slightly. "No, I think you guys have done your share. Get some sleep. You too, Caleb, Sancho. And it might be best if we kept this quiet for now."

"That won't ... la ... last long." Tyler's voice grated, startling Donovan. He wouldn't have thought the man would be able to speak.

"I always thought you weren't human ..." Donovan started.

"Gooder, Earth humans are more casually cruel to their own kind then my people could ever be so bugger off!" The fierceness of the last words set off a fit of bloody coughing.

"Ham!" Chris gave Donovan an angry look as he rested his good hand on Tyler's shoulder until the coughing fit eased. "Come on, bro. Better get to sleep."

Ham's next words weren't in English but they obviously didn't make Chris very happy. Nevertheless, he responded curtly in the same language. Ham nodded jerkily then his eyes closed. His breathing slowed so abruptly that Julie hastily grabbed for a wrist, checking for a pulse. She finally found it, very slow and very faint.

"So he's out?" Caleb asked.

"About as out as he's gonna get." Chris grunted.

"Good. 'Cause I've had about as much of this fun as I can stand. You guys get to have your share. Me, I'm gonna take a shower, burn these clothes, and try to get some sleep. And maybe get Sancho turned off before he runs out of cuss words."

Sancho broke off his continuous monologue. "Man, I ran out ten minutes ago! I'm making up words now!"

"Come on, let's go." Caleb steered the other man from the room, passing Robert on his way in, followed by Harmony and Father Andrew, all of whom paused to stare at the two blood-covered men leaving the building.

"What happened?" Robert asked. "Maggie said Tyler's hurt."

Julie looked at Donovan. "You explain. Harmony, help me get set up."

"So what now? More aliens?" Robert said after hearing Donovan out.

Donovan paused, suddenly wondering. He looked at Chris. "'Earth humans.'" He said slowly. "'My people." Two separate entities, from the sound of it. Am I right?" Chris just looked away.

Robert hesitated then sighed. "Well, at least he bleeds red. That's got to be a plus. What do we do?"

"Harmony, do you think you can take care of Chris' hand? Broken fingers, claw marks." Julie asked.

"Well, I've little brothers and cats. That should cover it." She gently removed the makeshift bandage from Chris' hand and took a closer look at the claw marks. "Of course, my cats were regular domestic cats and not ... tigers."

"Not tiger. Jaguar." Donovan said suddenly. He looked at Chris. "I remember, in South America, there was an operative I never nailed down, they called Jaguar." He nodded at Tyler. "Him?"

Chris hesitated. "Yeah. Sometimes."

"Wait a minute." Father Andrew looked up from where he was setting out gauze. "One of my contacts in the church is a missionary in Africa. He told me that the major part of the resistance there, in the jungles, is headed by a man they called "_El Simba_". The Lion. Maybe one of his people?"

Chris shrugged. "Maybe."

"So there are more of his people here?" Donovan asked sharply.

Chris hesitated, obviously thinking before answering. "I don't know. Most of them left when the Visitors took hold of the planet. Anyone who remained has gone to ground. Ham's probably been in contact with them but I don't know." He caught Donovan's look. "Look, I can tell you there was a guy named Johnny in New York, a Tom in Mississippi, a William in Switzerland, an Allan in Africa! I don't see how that would be any help! Especially since most of them are probably not here anymore."

"Except maybe for Allan in Africa." Father Andrew said, setting a bowl of hot water on the table.

"Yeah, maybe. He does sound like he'd be called 'The Lion'."

"Maggie said he can heal this?" Julie interrupted.

"Yeah. How long it takes kinda depends on how much work the body has to do. How clean the wounds are. How well the bones are set."

"So we remove the shrapnel." Robert said in a queasy voice.

"And get the wounds clean." Father Andrew didn't sound quite so queasy but he did pale slightly as he got a good look at the injuries.

"How long will it take for him to heal?" Donovan asked.

Chris shrugged. "Week. Maybe two. Depends." He hesitated, worry flashing in his eyes. "I've never seen him hurt this bad though."

"Okay, first we get him cleaned up so we can see what we're doing." Julie reached for a pair of surgical gloves. "Ready, Robert?"

"Don't ask me that! You know I'm not! Give me the damn gloves."

While the majority of the wounds were above Tyler's waist, removing the remainder of his clothing revealed more gashes on his upper thighs, including a nasty one along his left hip. The injuries were even uglier with the blood cleaned away and the visible shrapnel removed. The fact that they didn't bleed momentarily unnerved Julie.

"Why doesn't he bleed?" Robert asked the question on her mind.

She shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe his body's shutting off injured blood vessels. Chris?"

The big man has settled into a nearby chair, watching them. "As good an explanation as any." He hesitated. "It would be best if you can avoid stitching the external injuries closed. It'll just get in the way of them healing."

Julie frowned. "Well, we do have that supply of surgical strips. Harmony?"

"I'll get them." Harmony vanished into a back room.

"And more of the dissolving thread!" Julie called after her before turning back to her patient. "His left arm is definitely broken, his right arm and wrist probably are. Once we get the shrapnel removed, we can set them both." She paused, visibly bracing herself before reaching for a scalpel.

There was little blood as they removed the remaining shrapnel, just an occasional trickle that slowed quickly. Even when Julie was forced to cut out some pieces and literally dig for others, the blood flow remained at a minimum.

"Has he lost too much blood?" Harmony asked as she handed Julie a fresh scalpel.

"Not much can be done if he has." Chris replied. "Just don't hit anything major."

"And how am I supposed to know if anything's major?" Julie said in frustration, having encountered yet another organ she didn't recognize.

"I don't know! Just don't slice into anything that looks like it's actually doing something!"

"That doesn't help!" Julie literally snarled. "Here! This looks something like a heart only it's smaller and too low in the abdomen. And not beating."

Chris rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "Good. That means his primary heart's wasn't damaged." He half-muttered.

Julie froze, looking at him. "You mean it is a heart? And it ... what? Only works when the main heart can't?"

Chris threw her a startled look and she realized that if he hadn't been so worried and tired, he never would have said what he had just said; at least not loud enough for them to hear. "Pretty much, yeah." He hesitated then added. "Ham once told me his people were built for survival and after seeing some of the shit he's survived, I believe it. Secondary heart, healing ability, claws, some other things thrown in for good measure. Don't ask me what; he didn't go into detail when he didn't need to."

Julie started to ask another question then cut it off. Now was not the time, she reminded herself sternly as she turned her attention back to her patient. "What about bone?"

"Huh?" Chris threw her a startled look.

"Do I remove bone chips or ..."

"If you can figure out where it goes, put it back. It'll get re-absorbed. Otherwise, remove it."

"Damn, this is not how I envisioned my life." Robert muttered. "How much longer?"

"I don't know. What I need is an x-ray machine. Or even a metal detector. There's got to be shrapnel we're missing. What if we don't get all the pieces out?"

"They'll eventually work their way out."

"But he'll stay under until they do?" Donovan asked from where he was sprawled on top of a nearby table. Chris threw him a surprised look, obviously thinking he'd been asleep.

"Yeah, probably."

"Well, let's get all we can then." Julie muttered.

It was almost dawn when Julie finally admitted defeat. She stepped back, stripping off the gloves and tossing them into the pan with the pile of shrapnel. "Anything that's left I'll do more damage finding and removing then if it worked its own way out. Let's get the last of those gashes closed and get him onto a bed. I'll send Alice over ..."

"I'll stay." Chris said curtly.

"You need to get some sleep." Julie said and Chris shrugged.

"I've gotten good at sleeping in chairs."

Julie almost argued but the look in Chris' eyes convinced her she'd be wasting her breath. Instead, she helped Robert and Harmony splint the broken arms and apply the last of the surgical strips then stepped back to strip off her gown and mask, letting Mike and Father Andrew shift Tyler onto a regular bed.

"He'll need nutrients, won't he?" Julie asked. "I mean, he'll be replacing not only a lot of lost blood but repairing torn veins. Muscle. Flesh. Plus he'll need liquids. What can we set up?"

"Standard IV drip will do. He can handle pretty much anything a human can."

"Fine. Harmony, you want to help me get it set up? You guys can head back to bed. Thanks for the help."

Robert and Father Andrew didn't argue, just stumbled out the door, looking as worn out as Julie felt. Donovan remained, watching them as they worked.

"What about the IV needle?" Harmony asked. "If his body works out foreign objects, won't it just ... eject it?"

"Damn, that's right. We'll just have to tape it securely and keep an eye on it. Hand me that tape." She taped the needle firmly in place. "I'll check on him later. After I get a few hours sleep." She checked the drip, nodding in satisfaction.

"Yeah. Maybe after a few hours sleep, we can get some more questions answered." Donovan looked pointedly at Chris. "Like who and what he is and why he's here."

"Not my answers to give." He nodded his head toward Tyler. "They're his."

"But you know them."

Chris just looked at him.

"Mike." Julie paused on her way to the door and looked first at Chris and then Donovan. "We can wait until Tyler wakes up."

Donovan obviously wasn't happy with the decision but he followed Julie out of the infirmary. The others were already out of the door so only the Visitor, Willie, listening to the activity through the vent in the floor from above, heard the worry in Chris' voice as he muttered, "If he wakes up."


	3. Part Two

It was mid afternoon when Julie returned to the infirmary. She wasn't surprised to see Chris still there, reading a paperback book, a cup of coffee by his elbow. He looked up as she entered, nodding in greeting.

"Did you get any sleep?"

"Enough."

She gave him a look that said she doubted it but didn't argue as she moved the sheet covering Tyler. "Damn." She muttered, lifting his arm to stare at the gashes. Already they looked as if they had been healing for days. Gently she worked loose a strip, shaking her head in wonder. "Will he scar?" Turning his arm gently, she found herself looking at those sharp claws, now sheathed. Someone had cleaned them of the blood that had covered them the night before. While retracted, the claws weren't really noticeable, just the tips curving over the end of each finger, and Tyler's habit of wearing gloves had hidden the fact that he had no fingernails. Boots had hidden the equally sharp claws on his toes. No socks, she had been amused to notice. Claws would undoubtedly wreak havoc on them.

Chris shrugged, setting the book to one side. "Depends. Doubt he'll care."

"Any ... a ..." She glanced at the door.

"Harmony's been by. That lizard of hers flitted across the doorway a couple a times but hasn't come out ..."

"Willie." Julie reminded him, though she didn't think he needed reminding. Chris just shrugged again. "I think he's smart enough to know not to come in."

"Man, this place is buzzing." Caleb walked in the door, Sancho and Elias trailing behind him. "Rumor City. Here, Chris." He offered the other man his knife, now thoroughly cleaned. "I forgot it in the truck last night."

"And we found this, when we were cleaning the truck." Sancho held out an oval-shaped medallion. "Tyler's?"

"Yeah, thanks." Chris slipped the knife into his boot and took the medallion, bouncing it the palm of his hand thoughtfully. "What kind of rumors?"

"All kinds. The kind stirred up by a guy catching a grenade full in the chest and surviving." Caleb looked at Julie. "Gonna have to tell them something."

"Great. Chris ..."

Chris shook his head. "There's nothing I can tell ya that'll help." He caught the look on her face. "I'm serious. There's nothing I can tell ya that'll help."

Julie bit her lip to keep from arguing and sighed instead. "Okay, so we play it by ear."

"So what's new?" Donovan said from where he had been listening by the doorway. "How's he doing?"

By way of answer, Julie raised the arm she had been examining. "Healing very rapidly. Probably take the splints and strips off in a couple days. Maybe a little longer. But internal injuries would take longer?" She made the last a question and Chris answered with a nod. "How's your hand, Chris?"

"Still there. For which I am thankful." He grinned at her pained look. "Two broken fingers, five puncture wounds but no infection. Lotsa hurt."

"Need painkillers?"

"I got something. Something safe." He added at her concerned look.

"What's that?" Donovan gestured at the medallion Chris was still idly bouncing in his hand. Chris hesitated then flipped it to the other man.

'That' was an oval medallion of what appeared to be ivory. Carved into one side were three figures, only the middle one appeared to be anywhere close to human. Of the other two, one appeared to be wearing a spacesuit of some kind; the other was insect-like, with four legs, four arms, and a head similar to a grasshopper's. All were armed - spear, sword, axe - and armored. The other side was flat and had odd alien symbols carved into it.

"What is it?" Donovan asked.

Chris shrugged. "Good luck charm, I guess. Ham never really explained."

"I thought maybe it was something, you know, religious." Sancho said.

Chris chuckled, shaking his head. "Ham once told me, and I quote, _'All our Deities play with loaded dice so we don't pay much attention to them.'_. Nope, that's just something most of his people apparently carry." He reached out and took the medallion back, slipping it into his shirt pocket. "He usually has it sown into his jacket, keeps folks from asking questions about it."

Julie pulled the sheet back up. "He's definitely healing. How well and how fast, I can't really tell. Chris, we have to tell people something. How about just the basics? He is alien, isn't he?"

Chris frowned, obviously torn but finally, reluctantly answered. "Yeah, he is."

"And he's been here for at least ... what ... twenty years?"

This time, Chris shrugged. "I've known him for sixteen years. He was two years in 'Nam before that."

"Why is he here?" Donovan asked.

Chris shook his head. "You'll have to ask him that. But I can tell ya it had nothing to do with the Visitors. He was as surprised as anyone else when we found out that they were here."

"You sound like you didn't know they had arrived." Caleb pulled himself up to sit on a nearby table.

"We didn't." Chris said in a disgusted tone. "We were out of touch. Mission." He added, shooting a baleful look at Donovan. "When we finally found out about the arrival, they'd already been here for three weeks! Too late to do anything about it." He paused. "All Ham could do was get word to his guys, the guys we were with in 'Nam. Told them to grab what they could, get underground fast. Luckily the majority did or we wouldn't have the worldwide network we got now."

"Ham started the World Liberation Front?" Donovan asked, startled.

"The guys started it." Chris corrected. "Ham just made sure they were alive and out of the Visitors' reach."

"Did he know the Visitors were a danger to Earth? Before they arrived?" Donovan asked warily.

Chris frowned, obviously thinking he may have already said too much but he answered in a reluctant tone. "Did he know the Visitors were a danger? Yes. To Earth? No."

Julie jumped in quickly, hoping to get a couple more answers before Chris clammed up. "Is he part of the Alliance that Martin mentioned?"

"No." Chris said curtly. "He had no idea what that was when we heard about it. Still doesn't."

"Then where ..." Donovan started but Chris was shaking his head.

"Don't bother asking where he came from. I don't know. Not for certain. He'll have to explain that."

"Kinda hard to believe you know a guy's an alien for sixteen years and you never bothered to ask questions." Elias said, leaning against the wall nearby.

Anger flashed briefly in Chris' eyes. "I only knew that for fourteen years." He rubbed his scarred arm absently. "And it didn't matter. Didn't then, doesn't now. Oh, I know some things but not enough to answer the questions you want to ask." He nodded at Tyler. "He's the only one who can answer those questions."

Julie suspected that was all they were going to get from Chris; at least for now. "Elias, can you get everyone together in the saloon for a meeting? We better give them the basics; maybe keep them from making something up even worse. Coming, Chris?"

Chris shook his head. "Nothing I say will help. I'll stay here."

Julie hesitated, wondering if she should insist but they couldn't afford to make an enemy of him, especially now. "All right." Chris gave her a look that made her realize that he had expected her to insist and her response had somehow scored a point in her favor. She took another chance. "Should I send Harmony over later to spell you?"

He hesitated then nodded, running a hand over his face and for the first time, they could see how tired he really was. "Sure, thanks."

Julie nodded and followed the others out of the door.

------------------------------------------

"Harmony?" Donovan asked once they were outside.

"Harmony is a pacifist. Pretty much the only person in this group Chris can be fairly sure wouldn't try to hurt Tyler."

Donovan looked scandalized. "Hey, wait a minute ..."

"Mike, that coma Tyler's in, he can't get out of it. He is totally vulnerable. It's a situation neither he nor Chris cares for but one they can't avoid. If it's happened before, I suspect Tyler went to ground. Hid himself to heal in safety. This time he couldn't. And there are a lot of people here who don't like him. Including you."

"I hate what he does ..." Julie looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "All right. Sometimes I hate him. But no way would I hurt someone who's totally helpless. Not even him."

Julie looked at the saloon, where Resistance members were gathering. "But Chris can't be certain of that, can he? And there are others, who maybe won't care for anyone who isn't human." She paused then shrugged. "Come on, let's get this over with."

------------------------------------------

The meeting went pretty much as Julie expected it would. After several minutes of 'Another alien?' and 'What the hell do we do now?', Caleb stood up and shouted everyone down.

"Look, nothing's changed. We didn't particularly like or totally trust Tyler before, we still don't now. So what's the big deal? He's alien but he is not a Visitor. He may have claws but he bleeds red and he is not wearing any kind of mask, that I can personally guarantee. He's done what he said he was going to do - got us weapons, got us tools, got us training. I say we wait it out. Just keep going the way we have been. Find out more when he wakes up."

"But what's he doing here? How could he have been on this planet for so long with no one knowing it?" Jake Hansen asked. "I mean, he was in the army, wasn't he?"

"Maybe they did know." Someone else said. After a moment, the speaker stood up and Julie recognized Rico Jones, a newer member of the Resistance. Tall and lean with long black hair, he had joined them less then a week ago and had been working with Father Andrew funneling supplies into the camp. "There are physicals, yeah. Not to mention practically living on top of each other for months on end. Okay, maybe he managed to hide the differences during the physicals but I'm willing to bet at least a few of the men he served with knew. The rest probably suspected but I think maybe they just didn't care. 'Nam was a damn hellhole, a guy with claws could be pretty handy. And you'd be amazed at the kind of secrets people who'd been through that kind of hell together can keep."

Silence followed that statement, broken finally by Julie. "Did you know Tyler then?"

"Not really. Same company, different platoons. But I knew of him. He got his guys through some of the toughest shit imaginable; most of them came back alive." Rico paused then continued, his face and voice both remarkably expressionless. "Rumor has it, after we pulled out of 'Nam, Tyler would slip back in, searching for POWs and MIAs, bringing them back if he could. I know some guys who owe him a hell of a lot more then their lives. If he contacted them and told them to pack up and go to ground, they'd do it. Without question."

"Including you?" Donovan asked.

"I got the message through a friend of a friend. But yeah. I listened."

"Mike, you did stories on this guy." Elias spoke up. "Wasn't there any hints?"

"None. But then I could never get any of the men who'd served with him to talk to me." He looked at Rico, who just shrugged and sat back down. "None of them ever had anything to say. And his records were pretty sparse. I always did wonder about those damn gloves though."

"What about the Visitors?" Maggie asked. "Wouldn't they know something about these aliens? Whatever kind it is that Tyler is?"

"Maybe. I'll get a message to my contact, see if we can meet. And maybe see if I can get in touch with any of my old contacts in the media and military as well."

"I'll get a message out through my contacts in the church." Father Andrew said. "Missionaries go to a lot of different places, isolated places and I'd bet if there is - if there were - any more of Tyler's people here, that's where they'd be."

Julie gave a short laugh. "'A Johnny in New York, a Tom in Mississippi, a William in Switzerland, an Allan in Africa'." She glanced at Donovan. "Not much to go on. As long as they wore gloves and kept from being injured, they could hide among us forever."

"And probably have." Hansen muttered darkly. People looked at each other uneasily.

"I could try the Peace Corp." Maggie said. "We went to isolated places."

"Maybe the police files." Mark said. "I still have some friends in the force."

"Fine. We'll do that. Gather what info we can." Julie said. "But we'll also continue the way we have been. We got some more raids coming up. We hit that water plant in thirty-one days and we had better be ready. Harmony, would you mind going over and staying with Tyler, give Chris a chance to sleep? We'll need him tomorrow."

"Wait a minute. How far can we trust him?" Elias asked.

Julie was expecting that question. "Probably the same as we trusted him before. As far as I can tell, his loyalty is to Tyler ..."

"Not too surprising." Maggie cut in suddenly. Seeing the questioning looks, she continued. "That grenade was aimed for Chris. Tyler shoved him out of the way and took the blast himself." She paused for a moment, letting that sink in. "No way could Chris have survived that blast. No way could Tyler know for sure he would survive it. But he knew his chances were better then Chris' would be. So if you need anyone else to sit with him, I volunteer."

"Count me in." Caleb spoke up. "Maybe I can catch up with my reading."

"Me, too." Sancho shrugged at the looks the others gave him, remembering that Tyler and Farber's first meeting with the LA Resistance had involved hauling him and Mark in by the scuff of their necks. "Hey, you spend thirty minutes digging metal out of some guy; you kinda wanna make sure he makes it, y'know?"

Julie smiled slightly. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, guys. It'll be a big help. Okay, everybody. Let's get back to work."

------------------------------------------

During the first week another raid was executed, netting them some much-needed medical supplies, including several packs of liquid nutrition and, much to Julie's relief, a portable x-ray machine. She suspected Elias had made a special effort to get it and she made a point of thanking him profusely. With Robert's help, she set it up, thankful that the infirmary had its own generator. It took some maneuvering to get the x-rays developed but it proved worth it when small pieces of shrapnel were revealed still buried in Ham's chest and arms. One such piece was embedded in bone, preventing the right arm from healing. She removed that one and as many of the others as she could. Once Julie was certain she had removed all she possibly could, she and Robert proceeded to study the x-rays for a far different reason, comparing them to other x-rays.

On the fifth afternoon, Donovan walked in to find the two of them in an involved discussion. No one else was in the room; they had moved Tyler into a small room off of the main one two days ago in an attempt to keep the curious away. Of course, having a glowering Chris sitting guard did help scare most people away.

"Finding anything interesting?" He asked.

Julie looked over her shoulder. "Lots of things. Come here." Three x-rays were lined up on the light panels and she tapped the middle one. "This is a human's x-ray. Elias' actually. This one," She tapped the one to the right. "Is Willie's. Very much alike. Organs in slightly different alignment, slightly different shape and size but still pretty much the same. Now, over here ..." Julie pulled down Willie's x-ray and set it aside before moving to the x-ray on the left. "This is Tyler's."

Donovan compared the two, frowning. Julie continued.

"Recognizable organs pretty much in the same place, though a number of them are smaller. More compact. I suspect they're also more efficient." She pointed. "Secondary heart here but currently not functioning. The appendix there. From what we've seen so far, I'd say it's not the useless organ we humans have. It must do something but we have no idea what. And there." She pointed to a mass at the top of the lungs. "Also not currently functioning and no idea what it's supposed to do."

"Since it's at the top of the lungs, looks like it's connected to the lungs. It probably has something to do with breathing." Robert spoke up. "Maybe it lets him hold his breath longer. Or filters out toxins. Something along those lines."

"Bone seems denser. By the way, those claws are made of bone. Super-dense bone. I'm not surprised he managed to tear those gashes in the truck bed. I'm surprised he didn't do a lot more damage to Chris' hand."

"Where is Farber?" Donovan asked.

"In with Tyler." Julie said quietly. "He's clammed up totally and I don't want to push it. We can't afford to alienate him."

"Julie, look at this ..." Robert gestured at the x-ray. Donovan grinned and left the two scientists absorbed in their work. He stepped to the doorway of the small room they had moved Tyler into and looked in. Chris was sitting comfortably in a battered easy chair someone had found, filling clips with the new Teflon bullets. He looked up as Donovan entered, eyes wary. Donovan just nodded a greeting and moved to Tyler's side.

The splints had already been moved, along with several of the surgical strips that had been holding the gashes closed. The least of the injuries were almost completely healed, the others were healing rapidly. After a moment, Donovan walked back out into the outer room and over to Julie.

"Is it my imagination or is Farber better armed then the majority of the camp?" He asked in a low voice.

"Noticed that, uh? Yeah, I don't think he trusts everyone's intentions concerning Tyler."

"A little paranoid, isn't he? In case he's forgotten, we're the good guys."

"Maybe not." Robert said quietly. He glanced over toward the sickroom. "There are some people who are really unhappy about the possibility of another type of alien on Earth. I have a feeling that if it weren't for Chris standing guard, someone might try something."

"Who?" Julie was surprised. "I haven't heard anything."

"I don't know. Just talk. She said then he said then she said."

"It's a little short-sighted of whoever it is." Julie said. "Whoever Tyler's people are, I doubt they'd be very happy if he gets killed by people he's trying to help."

"If that's what he's really trying to do." Robert muttered.

"Yeah, well, I got a message out to Martin. Maybe he'll have some answers for us." Donovan paused thoughtfully then asked. "Can we trust the people who are taking turns sitting with him?"

"I think so." Julie smiled slightly. "They may not like him or trust him but I think they respect him." She glanced at the x-rays. "Now scoot and like us get back to our work." Donovan chuckled and scooted.

Another week passed. Julie was alarmed to see a few new wounds, caused by shrapnel she had missed working it's way out of Tyler's body but all she could do was work the jagged metal free and tape the new gashes closed. A more thorough run of x-rays showed no remaining shrapnel. By the end of that week, all the surgical strips could be removed, leaving behind puckered pinkish scars where the horrible gashes had been.

By the third week, even those faint scars had faded completely and every test Julie could think of showed all injuries were healed. Despite this, Tyler showed no signs of waking up and Chris was starting to resemble an angry bear with a sore tooth. Everyone did their best to stay out of his way. That was when Willie finally told Harmony what he had heard on that first night and when Harmony went to Julie and Donovan.

"When did Chris say this?" Julie asked sharply.

"That first night. Willie says you'd all already left the building. He said Chris sounded worried. Really worried."

"'If he wakes up.' So Farber isn't sure Tyler's going to wake up?" Donovan asked.

"I don't know! I'm just telling you what Willie heard."

"It would explain Chris' short temper. I think we better talk to him." Julie said quietly.

Donovan nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

They found Chris sitting in the easy chair, efficiently sharpening a knife. He glanced up, eyes wary, as they entered the room then back down at what he was doing.

"Chris ..." Julie started then asked abruptly. "How long does one of these healing sleeps last?"

The knife stopped moving across the whetstone and Chris looked at her warily. "Depends ..."

"What's the longest they last?" She asked insistently and a mixture of panic and pain flashed through the man's eyes.

"Fifteen days." He said bitterly. "Fifteen fucking days!"

"It's been seventeen ..." Donovan started.

"Yeah, I noticed that!" Chris snapped, his look fierce, his grip on both knife and whetstone so tight his knuckles were white.

"So it's possible he may not wake up?"

Chris hesitated. "It's possible. Apparently it's happened."

"What happens then?" Julie asked.

Chris looked at her and she was shocked at the pain in his eyes. After a long moment, he looked down at the blade he'd sharpened to a razor's edge then, with a decisive move, he thrust the knife into the sheath in his boot and rose, walking from the room, leaving Julie reeling with sudden understanding.

"What the ... wait a minute ..."

Julie grabbed Donovan's arm, hanging on tightly. "Wait, Mike."

"But ..."

"It occurs to me that if you are in the middle of a war zone and are not only very hard to kill but heal while in a coma-like state, that it would be very handy to have an associate who knew how to kill you. Just in case."

Donovan froze. "No. No way!"

Julie tightened her grip on his arm, suddenly wanting to cry. "I don't like it but it makes sense. If we had to move base quickly or if Tyler simply doesn't wake up ... If it was a choice between killing him or letting him fall into Diana's hands ... Can you imagine what Diana could do ... would do ... with someone who could heal virtually any wound?"

"But to ask Chris ..."

"Who else could he trust? Remember, before he went to sleep, Ham said something? Something Chris didn't like? I think maybe he asked Chris to promise him ..."

"And Chris did. Damn."

"And Chris did."

"So what do we do now?" Donovan asked.

"We keep hoping he wakes up. Soon."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then we stay out of Chris' way. And help him through it as best we can." She was crying now, softly and without really realizing it. Donovan slipped his arms around her, holding her close.

"I'm meeting with Martin tomorrow. Maybe he can tell us something that'll help." He held her for a moment then cursed bitterly. "Damn it, I don't like the guy but ..."

"I know."

------------------------------------------

"Files concerning other alien species are locked." Was the first thing Martin said when they met the next morning. Caleb accompanied Donovan for the meet and Donovan explained the latest development on the way. After he finished swearing venomously, Caleb promised not to say anything to anyone else as yet. "But I managed to get some information. The aliens you asked about, the ones that look human but with claws? They are from the planet_ Barbaros_, part of a confederation of planets."

"The Leader's enemy?" Donovan asked.

"I don't know." Martin paused then sighed. "You have to understand that much of our information; our history is what the Leader wants it to be. I couldn't access the files that explain exactly who or what that enemy is. Just that there is one. Maybe more then one. But I did find out that an occasional _Barbarosian_ has been captured. Usually they were released but sometimes, when the Leader could get away with it, they were turned over to our scientists."

Donovan had seen what happened to people who were turned over to Visitor scientists. The next word came out reluctantly. "And?"

Martin looked at him, expressionless. "_Barbarosians_ are very hard to kill. And they heal very quickly."

"I take it this was found out the hard way?" Caleb asked.

"Yes." Martin paused. "Is there a _Barbarosian_ on Earth?"

Donovan and Caleb looked at each other for a long moment. "We think so." Donovan finally said. "We're not sure ..."

Something like alarm crossed Martin's face. "He's in a coma?"

Donovan nodded and Martin visibly paled. "Be careful. Diana mustn't get her hands on him."

"There's a contingency plan in place. But if they can't be brought out of the coma?"

"There are ways." There was sickness in the Visitor's voice.

"How?" Donovan asked, sudden hope flaring but Martin was shaking his head.

"You don't want to know." He said sharply. "And if you did know, I'd sincerely hope none of you would be capable of doing it."

Donovan felt his stomach lurch and a look at Caleb told him the other man was experiencing the same nausea.

"Was Diana involved in the torture of the ones who were captured?" Caleb asked.

"No. No_Barbarosian_ has been captured for maybe 70 years but there is documentation of research done. Including visual recordings." Martin's eyes looked bleak.

"Which Diana likes to watch?" Donovan guessed.

"Yes." Martin hesitated. "_Barbarosians_ can heal almost any wound. They can also regenerate body parts. Fingers, limbs, eyes, sometimes even internal organs ..."

"Oh God." Caleb swallowed hard and Donovan paled. "Your people found this out how?"

"There are times," Martin broke into Caleb's accusing sentence. "When I don't like my people very much." After a moment, Caleb nodded and Martin continued. "They do eventually die. Sometimes they slip into a coma they cannot be awakened from or they just ... die. The longest one has been kept alive is three years. They cannot be driven insane and it is believed that they can't be converted but there has not been a live subject for Diana to test that theory on."

"We'll try real hard not to give her one." Caleb muttered.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Donovan asked.

"I can't. But there's someone with your group who might be able to."

"What? Who?" Donovan asked sharply.

"You have one of my people. Earth name William. Shortly after you captured him, his family on the home world was arrested for spreading forbidden knowledge. The House of Xon; sometimes called the religion of Xon. If he hadn't been with you, he would probably be under arrest himself. Or dead."

"What does this house - this religion have to do with - with the _Barbarosian_?" Donovan barely caught himself before saying Tyler's name, something they didn't want to reveal as yet. Not that he was happy about that. He thought Martin would get a big kick out of finding out Tyler wasn't human but Julie had insisted on it being kept a secret.

"I don't know. It's been forbidden for a thousand years. But legend has it that, a thousand years ago, my people had friendly trade with other species, including, apparently, the _Barbarosian_. That friendly trade ended about the same time the House of Xon was forbidden. What we are told is that the followers of Xon and the other species were conspiring to take over our planet and the then Leader drove them off."

"But you don't believe it." Caleb said.

"No, I don't. I think there's more to the story. William might be able to tell you more. But how much will be history and how much legend, I couldn't guess at."

"We'll ask him. Thanks, Martin."

Martin hesitated. "There is something else you should know, just in case." He paused, obviously searching for words. "The _Barbarosian_ have close ties with other species. Some, like the …" He stopped suddenly then seemed to skitter in a different direction. "… the_Rathorns_. It's said that they and the _Barbarosians_ have such close ties because they are both predators; that they hunt together. They are one of the few species the _Rathorns_ allow to populate their planet."

"Is that good or bad?" Caleb asked and Martin threw him an appraising look.

"It depends. Legend has it that _Rathorns_ are teleporters. It's possible, just possible, that if the _Barbarosians_ here have close enough ties to them, they might start coming here."

Donovan rocked back on his heels but it was Caleb who spoke again. "How likely is that?"

Martin shrugged. "Legends again but it's said they appear if they are needed. They appear if you want them hard enough. They've appeared on our home world and there are legends of them here on Earth, though Rupert's been working hard to get those stories eliminated." Seeing their questioning looks, he added. "Rupert's in charge of Earth-side Media, mainly in charge of eliminating Earth literature and any media that works against us. Or scare our people, for that matter." He added the last bit with a hint of dark humor.

Donovan grunted. "So what is a _Rathorn_? So we know what it is if one should ever appear?"

Martin grinned in sudden bemusement. "Here, on Earth, you would call them unicorns. Oh, yes, that would be a correct term for them. They do have a single horn. They look something like horses, carnivorous horses. They are the one species in the universe that no one would be willing to make angry. And while the Leader may deny or downplay their existence, he is not willing to insult or anger them. Beings who do that don't live very long."

"_Rathorns_ in the bedroom?" Donovan smiled faintly.

"Bedroom, throne room, public square." Martin said so seriously that Donovan's smile vanished. "Every time the Leader or anyone else tries to completely deny their existence, one will appear just to prove them wrong. They are fickle and stubborn and inclined to grandiose gestures." He grimaced. "One sweep of that horn can gut someone easily."

Donovan frowned. "So if they come here, they could just as easily kill humans."

"Perhaps._Rathorns_ are infamous for eating anything that doesn't eat them first but they are also supposedly intelligent. And other species may appear as well." Martin frowned, looking away for a moment. "Not many of them look human though or could pass for human. It's too bad …" He cut off that sentence.

"What?" Donovan demanded.

"I was going to say that it's too bad you can't ask the Librarian but we haven't been able to find him so I doubt you could."

"The what?"

"The … never mind." Martin said with a sigh. "I have to get back. Good luck." He faded into the shadows and the two men turned to walk back to the truck. Caleb opened the passenger door before pausing.

"Mike, we can't let Chris kill Tyler."

"We can only hope Tyler wakes up ..."

"No, I mean, we can't let Chris kill him, if it comes to that. Alien or not, the man's his closest friend. He got those wounds saving Chris' life. If he has to kill him ... "

Mike rested his forehead against the cool metal of the cab, trying to imagine what it would be like to have to kill someone you cared for, had such a close bond with. Martin, Julie, or, God forbid, Sean. Could he do it? More to the point, could he trust someone else to do it?

"We'll just have to do our best." He said finally, pulling the door open. "Let's get the hell out of here."


	4. Part Three

The two men returned to a controlled chaos but since much of the time in the Resistance base consisted of controlled chaos, they weren't too alarmed. Julie met them as they parked the truck.

"No change." She said before either of them could ask. "Other then Chris' temper getting worse."

"Damn, this is a total bitch." Caleb said. "If we could just get word to any of his people that might be here ..."

"We'd have to figure out who they are first and then figure out how to contact them." Julie turned and started toward the infirmary, the two men following. "Father Andrew got word back from his contact in Africa. He doesn't come out and say that this 'Lion' has claws but if you look after the signature you can see a doodle that looks remarkably like a claw."

"You're kidding." Donovan said in disbelief.

"Nope. Apparently talking about people with claws is deemed a major no-no by the Church for some reason or another. What did you find out?"

Donovan ran through what Martin told them, ending with, "So I think maybe we should talk with Willie."

"Think he'll tell us the truth?"

"I think so." Caleb said. "Mind if I tag along?"

"Sure, come on."

The infirmary was empty save for Harmony and Willie when they entered. Willie was sitting at an old-fashioned student desk someone had found, thumbing through a thick book. Harmony was nearby, sorting through medical supplies. She looked up as they entered.

"No change." She said quietly, with the air of someone who had said those words far too often.

Donovan went to the door of the small room and looked in. He could see Tyler, still in the same position he had been in for the past eighteen days. A stack of books rested near the bed, a backpack was tucked under it. Chris' jacket hung from a bedpost near Tyler's head.

"Where's Farber?" He asked.

"Helping out with the new recruits. Teaching them one end of a gun from the other." Harmony paused. "He put it a little differently but it had the same meaning."

"Man, am I glad I'm not in that training group. Won't be anything of them when Chris gets through with them. What are you reading, Willie?" Caleb asked.

"Dictionary." He raised the battered book to show them. "Harmony thought it might help with my English."

"Well, it can't hurt. And an Arabic-to-English book ..." Donovan was looking at the other books in the stack at the Visitor's elbow. "Willie, someone said you might be able to help us out with a few things."

Willie looked from one human to another before asking warily. "What things?"

"He said you might know something about Tyler's people."

"No!_"_

"Something about the House of Xon? Or the religion of Xon." Caleb said and Willie looked alarmed.

"That is forbidden."

"Not here, Willie." Caleb assured him. "Among your people, yes. But not here."

Willie went from alarmed to thoughtful. "That's true, isn't it?" He said slowly. "But that has nothing to do with Mr. Tyler."

"Our contact said that the religion of Xon was forbidden about the time your people stopped friendly trade with other aliens, including Tyler's people. So it's possible the two events were connected. Willie, we need to know more about Tyler and knowing more about his people and how they relate to your people may help."

Willie looked confused. "How?"

"We won't know that until we hear what you can tell us."

Willie didn't look as if he was sure he believed that but he shrugged. "I will try but I do not know how much I can tell you. I do not know any of the inner secrets."

Donovan settled into a nearby chair. Caleb grabbed another chair while Julie pulled herself up onto a nearby counter. Harmony continued to sort but was obviously listening. "What happened 1000 years ago? What happened to the House of Xon? Why was the religion of Xon forbidden?"

Willie paused to gather his thoughts. "There are two stories. The one everyone hears and the one only some hear."

"And the one everyone hears?" Julie said coaxingly.

"A thousand years ago, the House of Xon made a treasonous alliance with mammalian aliens to overthrow the rightful Leader of our ancestors." Willie sounded like he was reciting and, they realized, he probably was. "The Leader drove the followers of Xon and their allies off our world and forbade the religion of Xon for all time."

"I bet the Leader's using that story as part of his justification for what they are doing to Earth." Julie said. "'Not much difference between one mammalian species and another' kind of thought."

"And the other story?" Caleb asked.

Willie shifted uncomfortably, looking embarrassed. Again, he sounded like he was reciting. "A thousand years ago, during a great war involving many planets, our ancestors did something so atrocious that Xon was offended beyond all control. He gathered his loyal followers and left our home world, cursing those who remained behind forever. All other species vowed to never trade with us again and our world began to die."

"1000 years is a hell of a long time to hold a grudge." Julie said. "What did they do?"

Willie shook his head. "That I was never told. Only the Olders know that."

"Elders." Harmony corrected automatically.

"Yes, Elders."

"So I think we can safely say that Tyler's people and your people are definitely not friends." Julie remarked.

"No, definitely not friends." Willie agreed.

"Wait a minute." Donovan stepped into the room Tyler was in. Just as he remembered, the ivory medallion was resting on the pillow near Tyler's head. Picking it up, he took it back into the other room. "Do you know what this is?"

Willie looked at the medallion but didn't take it. "Yes, I know that. Also forbidden."

"Not here." Caleb reminded him.

"Yes. Yes, that is ..." Willie looked at the dictionary then reached for the Arabic-to-English book, thumbing through it, muttering to himself in Arabic as he searched for the word he wanted. "Ahhhh, here. This. Trinity." He sounded the word out. "That is Trinity. The Three ... Soldiers? No ... Warriors, yes. Other than that, I do not know."

"The Three Warriors?" Donovan looked at the medallion. "Of three different species, it looks like. I'd love to hear the story behind that."

"Yeah, well, let's hope Tyler wakes up so he can tell it to us." Julie said. Stepping over to a nearby desk, she dug out a pad of paper and a pen. "Willie, why don't you write down anything you can remember about the other aliens? Not just Tyler's people but any aliens. And anything about Xon. Anything. It might help."

"I will try." He took the offered material. "But I don't know that much."

"Sometimes you'd be surprised at what you know." Julie assured him before turning to the two men. "I have some work to do here if you want to meet later."

"I think I'll go out and make sure Chris isn't totally terrorizing the new people. We don't need him scaring them off." Caleb said.

Donovan bounced the medallion on the palm of his hand. "Good idea. I'll meet you out there." Caleb nodded and headed out the door. Donovan walked back to Tyler's room, setting the medallion on the pillow next to his head. He turned to leave then paused. "Whether you like it or not - whether _anyone_ likes it or not - you're a member of this team now so you'd better wake up, you damn bastard." He said in a low voice. Turning on his heel, he walked from the room.

------------------------------------------

Donovan made it a point to pass on what Martin had told him about Tyler's people and the Visitors being enemies. This eased a lot of the tension in the base. Not all of it but enough that Chris didn't get so alarmed whenever anyone entered the infirmary.

Meanwhile, information trickled in from their various contacts. Father Andrew reported that, while the Catholic Church had nothing to say, an old friend of his, a Tibetan monk, sent word that a freelance Resistance member there reportedly had claws but since the person wore gloves all the time and worked solo, it couldn't be verified. A parish priest in Louisiana sent back a similar message; that a deep swamp Cajun was rumored to have claws. Much of the information they received was like that. '_It is rumored that ... but it cannot be confirmed ..._'

Donovan's media contacts were next to useless, since most of the people involved had either been converted or were so terrified of the Visitors they refused to get involved. One person, using only the name of Animal, sent back word that there was a man working between Louisiana and the west coast who was rumored to have claws. Donovan wasn't sure what to make of this information and wasn't able to question the informer more closely, since all he had was a nickname.

His military contacts weren't even that helpful. All of Tyler's military records had been destroyed along with the records of thousands of other military personnel about a month after the Visitors arrived. Even the backups, supposedly secret and secure backups, had been destroyed. Donovan suspected that Tyler and Chris were responsible for that but when he mentioned it to Chris, all he got was a blank look in return.

Maggie's Peace Corp contacts had little information as well, though a friend in India sent a message that there had been a man there called Ras Tyger -- or Lord Tiger -- before the Visitors had arrived. There was no mention of claws or gloves, mainly because the man's unique height of over eight feet tall had been a major distraction. Mark's police buddies were apparently having more luck but he was having a hard time meeting with them to get the information.

Willie's notes were rather scattered but, among other things, revealed that there was some alien species that scared his people venomless and was used by parents to frighten children. He couldn't describe them, except that they had sharp teeth and bad attitudes but his reaction to them made Elias remark that he wished they could invite a few thousand of them for a scenic two-week tour of Earth. There were some references to other aliens, scattered and incomplete and sometimes more then a little confusing. Willie made a point of telling them that what he knew may not be anywhere near the truth. Some of his scribblings included:

_Rathorns__ are considered the most dangerous creatures in the universe ... the Confederation call their warships __Rathorns_

_There is a species that live on a volcanic planet and bath in hot lava._

_The Phoenix can survive in space. So can the __Ish'kiri__. So, maybe, can the __Hoag'tash_

_Chi'tok__ are the premier arms masters of the Confederation._

_The __Chi'tok__ and the __Shikito__ are still rivals but no longer at war with each other._

_Xon is a member of the Confederation's Four Quarters._

_The head of the Confederation is the planet __Cronum_

_Every Confederation ship has eyes. And a heart._

But the most interesting thing Willie revealed was after his chance encounter with a fantasy book. Xon, he said, was a dragon.

------------------------------------------

"Ouch!' Polly Maxwell jerked her arm back then glared at Harmony, who was cleaning the nasty scrape on the girl's elbow.

"Well, that's what happens when you get into a fight." Harmony said reasonably as she took firmer hold of the arm and resumed her work.

"It wasn't a fight! Tommy pushed me."

"And you hit him."

The eleven-year-old grinned. "Right in the eye!"

Harmony gave her a stern look. "We're not supposed to be fighting each other."

"Yeah, I know. Just the Visitors." Polly looked over at Willie, sitting nearby, studying a book. He didn't appear to have heard her.

Harmony glanced at him as well. "Not all Visitors. Some are friendly."

"What about Mr. Tyler?" Harmony gave her a surprised look then wondered why she was surprised. Even though no one had told the children, it wasn't surprising that they would pick up on what was going on. "Tommy's dad says he's an alien too. Just like the Visitors."

"Not exactly like the Visitors. He's a different kind of alien."

Polly hesitated, looking around before speaking again. "Tommy's dad says we should get rid of him before he wakes up. He says Mr. Tyler's dangerous."

Harmony began to tape a gauze bandage over the scrape, replying through clenched teeth. "Tommy's dad talks too much. We really don't know enough yet to judge Mr. Tyler." She resisted the urge to tear the tape with her teeth, settling for using a pair of scissors instead. "What do you think of him, Polly?"

"He scares me." The girl said matter-of-factly. "But he's Chris' friend." Odd, Harmony thought, how all the kids seem to gravitate to Chris. "So he must be okay. 'Sides, he got hurt so bad saving Chris' life, didn't he? So he's got to be an okay person, right?"

Harmony smiled as she smoothed the tape and straightened. "Well, he can't be all bad, that's for certain."

"Harmony." Polly jumped at the strangeness of Willie's voice then grinned sheepishly at Harmony.

"It takes some getting used to." Harmony assured her before turning to Willie. Willie was still sitting in the chair but was no longer reading the book he held. His head was tilted as if he were listening, a look of concentration on his face. "What's wrong?" She asked, suddenly alarmed.

"Something has ... changed." He gestured at the door leading into Tyler's room and Harmony felt her heart jump. Moving around the table, she ran to the room, pausing at the doorway. At first, she couldn't see any change but then she heard it. For weeks, Tyler had been breathing so shallowly as to be undetectable but now, she realized, she could hear each breath. Moving quickly to his side, she checked his pulse. Formerly slow and faint, it now beat strongly. Still slow, but increasing in speed with every beat and Harmony felt a surge of relief. She looked at the doorway, not at all surprised to see a curious Polly peering around the corner.

"Could you run get Chris please? Tell him I think Tyler's waking up."

Polly nodded and ran out the door. She paused on the walkway, finally settling on the saloon as her first try. Her sudden appearance through the swinging doors brought an abrupt halt to the planning session going on inside. To her relief, Chris was there, as well as Donovan and Julie.

"Harmony sent me." She blurted out. "She thinks Mr. Tyler's ..." Polly jumped to one side and ended up in a sprawl against the wall as Chris barreled past her. "Waking up." She finished then giggled. "Wow, he moves real fast for such a big guy."

"Yes, he does." Her father set her back on her feet. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sure. He didn't mean it."

"I know." He rumpled her hair affectionately.

"Robert, take over, will you?" Julie didn't wait for an answer as she followed Donovan and Chris out the door.

------------------------------------------

Wisely, Harmony was already to one side when Chris came in. He shot her a quick look then turned his attention to his friend. Harmony slipped to the door, meeting Donovan and Julie as they entered.

"He's breathing normally now, his pulse is stronger and faster. But he's still asleep."

"But now it's a natural sleep." Chris appeared behind her, his relief obvious. "He's out of the healing sleep. Be best if he came out of this on his own."

"How long will that take?"

Chris shrugged. "Not too long, definitely be awake by morning. Probably sooner. But I strongly recommend not trying to wake him up. I did, a couple times."

"What happened?" Julie asked.

"First time, he broke my arm. Second time, he broke my jaw." He grinned at their expressions. "It's never a good idea to wake Ham out of a sound sleep. Nowadays, I stand back 'bout twenty feet and toss rocks at his feet. Then run like hell before he wakes up enough to grab the rocks and toss them back."

Julie blinked at him. "Right. I vote we let him sleep."

"I second that." Donovan said fervently. "Come on, we better tell the others. Chris?"

"I'll stay here for awhile." He gave them a sheepish look. "Mind telling Polly I'm sorry about nearly running her over?"

"Oh, I think she understands." Julie grinned.

------------------------------------------

Later that day, Caleb, along with a few others, started to quietly gather together as much liquor as they could find with the intention of waylaying Chris and getting him royally plastered.

"Under normal circumstances," Julie said when Hansen told her about the plan. "I'd say it's a bad idea but in this case ... Elias!" She called out. The young man, just passing by, stopped to look at her inquiringly. "Are you in on this plan? Concerning Chris?"

"Yeah." He answered, throwing a hard look at the smirking informer. "Pop thought he'd been under a lot of stress and ..."

"Come here a minute." Julie went to a hamper of dirty clothes and sheets, digging down until she unearthed an opened twelve pack. She smiled at the look the two men gave her. "Medical purposes. I think this qualifies. There's maybe eight cans left."

"Great. Thanks."

"Just keep it down and don't let it get out of hand."

"Are you kidding? Pop's running this show." He tucked the box under his arm and headed out the door.

"You're going to let them get drunk?" Hansen asked.

"For the past few days, Chris has been facing the very real possibility of losing his closest friend. If I didn't have work to do, I'd be over there _helping_him get drunk. In fact, I wish I'd thought of it."

"Thought of what?" Donovan asked as he entered the building and Julie told him about the evening plans. "Oh that. I managed to find them a mostly full bottle of Scotch and Father Andrew's sacrificing some sacramental wine that he's had stored away."

"You're not joining them?"

"Nah. Thought I'd stick around. Tyler should wake up soon."

"And I have work to do. Later, Jake."

The other man scowled before turning on his heel and stalking away.

"How good of an idea is this? Really?" Julie asked in a low voice, pulling absently at her ponytail.

"I think between Caleb and Father Andrew, they'll keep it under control." Donovan answered.

"I hope so." Julie turned to walk toward the infirmary. "You know, some folks think we should have eliminated Tyler while he was still out."

"Yeah, I know. I wonder if any of them realize we would have had to go through Chris to do it. And even then, you realize, even if we wanted to kill him, we have no idea how."

"Let's hope it never comes to that."

------------------------------------------

The stash of books Chris had next to Tyler's bed consisted mainly of mysteries and Donovan dug through it until he found one that interested him. He could hear Julie out in the main room, telling Harmony to go to bed then there was just the rustling of paper and rattling of instruments as she settled into work. Dropping into the easy chair, he opened the book and was soon immersed in it.

He was well into the tenth chapter when a sudden harsh change in Tyler's breathing wrenched him away from the book. Dropping it on the floor, he moved to Tyler's side. The man was shifting restlessly, obviously trying to wake up. "Julie!"

Julie came into the room, heading straight for a bowl of water she had placed on the table earlier. Grabbing a washcloth, she wet it thoroughly and moved to Tyler's other side. At her touch, Tyler's hand came up, claws fully extended and dangerously close to the woman. Donovan moved to grab him but Julie shook her head.

"Tyler." She said in a calm, clear voice. "Tyler, you've been asleep for twenty-one days. Your eyes are probably gummed shut. I can't help you if you tear my arm off."

The man had gone totally still at Julie's words. Slowly his hand relaxed, those deadly claws slipping back into their sheaths. "Twenty ... one?" He said thickly.

"Twenty-one days." Julie confirmed, gently placing the washcloth over Tyler's eyes. The man flinched at her touch but let his arm fall back to his side. "Trust me, we have been counting them."

"Sweet ... Trinity." Tyler mumbled. "Too ... long." He coughed dryly and Julie reached over to pour water into a glass.

"We got that impression. Here's some water." He didn't resist as she helped him with the glass, swallowing half before she took the glass away. "Not too much at once." She eased him back onto the pillows.

"How ... Chris wouldn't have told you ..."

"Believe it or not, we can figure some things out for ourselves." Donovan said.

"Donovan?" Tyler turned his head toward Donovan's voice. "Where's Chris?"

"These last few days have been a hell of a strain on him. Some of the guys are in the process of getting him as drunk as they possibly can."

To their surprise, Tyler chuckled. "They're going to be in for a hell of a surprise. Takes a lot to get him drunk."

Donovan hesitated. "I know this is a stupid question but ..."

"How do I feel?" Tyler finished for him. Reaching up with a noticeably unsteady hand, he pulled the washcloth from his eyes, blinking in the light. "My entire body hurts. My _skin_ hurts. I feel like I've been hit by a couple of trucks and then thrown off a cliff for good measure. Does that answer the question?"

"Does that happen often?" Donovan said, amused.

"You'd be surprised."

"Do you remember what happened?" Julie asked.

"Yes." Tyler said curtly.

"Summarize it for me." Julie ordered, just as curtly as she removed the tape holding the IV needle in place and then the needle itself.

"Fine. Raid. Grenade. Boom. Ouch. Enough?"

"Since that's all we're probably going to get, it'll have to be." She said with a sigh then said angrily. "Y'know, Tyler, this would be a whole lot easier if you weren't such a damn hard ass."

Tyler looked at her. "This would be a whole lot easier if I didn't _have_ to be such a damn hard ass." He said in a voice as hard and cold as his eyes.

Donovan felt anger flare in him. "I'm beginning to think that if you're an example of what your people are like ..."

Tyler's head snapped around, his eyes turned amber with fury. "You don't know a damn thing about my people, Gooder, so shut up!" His fierce words sent him into a spasm of dry coughing and Julie hastily grabbed the glass, helping him to drink what remained of the water.

"We're going to need to know about them." Julie set the empty glass down.

"No."

"Tyler!"

"They got nothing to do with this."

"Then what are you doing here?" Donovan cut in. "Why are you here?"

"Does it matter? Our objectives are the same. To get these damn lizards off this planet."

"Why does it matter to you? Why should you care what happens to Earth? What are you doing here in the first place?"

Tyler didn't answer for a long moment. "Not now." He finally said. "Later. We can talk later. I need ..." He stopped, not finishing the sentence and reached up to rub at his eyes, his hand still visibly shaking.

Donovan relented. "When then?"

"What day is it? _Time_ of day is it?"

"Just after one in the morning." Julie said.

"Later this afternoon at the earliest. Tomorrow afternoon at the latest. That do?"

"That'll do." Donovan agreed.

"Good. Now go away." He paused before adding quietly. "Please."

Donovan felt his teeth grind but the last word Tyler said made him gulp back the harsh words he was going to say. "Yeah, sure." He turned to leave, Julie beside him, only to pause and look back as Tyler continued.

"And Gooder? Let's try to keep it a small group, okay? This is going to be hard enough without a crowd. Though it does have a good side." Tyler absently ran his tongue over his teeth. "I won't have to have my teeth ground down to human standards any longer." He grinned at their expressions and closed his eyes.

They stared at him for a long moment before walking out of the building.

"He was kidding, right? Please tell me he was kidding." Donovan asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think so."

Donovan looked back at the building. "Y'know, he makes it really hard to like him."

Julie sighed. "I have a sad feeling that that's his intention. Come on, let's go check on the party."

------------------------------------------

That, Tyler thought, was priceless. Foolish but priceless. Gritting his teeth, he rolled over, groping for the backpack he knew Chris had hidden under the bed. Well, not really hidden, just put out of the way. Anyone could have searched it but there would have been nothing in it to really interest them. Heaving it up next to him, he flipped it open and reached for a high-protein bar. He needed to replace protein quickly and these, they had found, were the quickest, easiest way to do it. Though meat would be better. Preferably raw meat. Preferably fresh raw meat.

Maybe he could go hunting tomorrow night.


	5. Part Four

"Tyler's right about one thing." Julie winced at the sound of her own voice and pressed the ice pack to her aching head. "We should keep it to a small group. Too many people and I think he'll clam up." She looked over at Donovan, sitting in a nearby chair with another matching ice pack. "Are you all right?"

"Not so loud." He groaned then added. "I don't remember drinking that much."

"Neither do I. The worst part is I'm pretty sure Chris was still fairly sober about the time I gave up."

"I noticed that too. Are you sure he's human?"

"Positive. I did a comparison blood test on him and Tyler. Chris is definitely human. Tyler isn't. It wouldn't be noticeable with a standard blood test but if you really look, you can spot the differences. Now about the meeting - "

"Some people are really unhappy about having Tyler here. They won't like it if they're kept out of a meeting concerning him."

"We need to know more about him, about what he or his people can do to help us, more then we need to soothe hurt feelings. So who do you think?" She drew a doodle on the pad in front of her then started writing. "Robert, for one. Being an anthropologist may help."

"The guys who were on the raid with him. Considering what they went through, they deserve to hear what he has to say."

Julie dutifully wrote down their names: Caleb, Sancho, Maggie, Mark. "And Elias?"

Donovan nodded. "Ouch. Yes. And Father Andrew. He might be able to keep things calmed down."

"Hmmmmm. How about Harmony?" Julie tapped the pen against the table thoughtfully then wrote her name down. "I'm thinking maybe we should include Rico as well."

Donovan threw her a surprised look. Compared to others in the camp, Rico was very new to the group.

"He knows Tyler - of Tyler - and, well I don't know, it might help."

"I suppose it can't hurt. What about Hansen? He's been the most vocal against Tyler."

"We don't need someone who's going to be openly antagonistic. We have you for that." Julie grinned at Donovan's scowl. "No but how about Natalie? She agrees with Hansen but I think she's more willing to listen. Anyone else?"

"It's too bad ..." Donovan cut off his words suddenly and Julie looked at him sharply.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing." He moved the ice pack over his eyes.

"Mike."

He sighed. "It's too bad Ruby isn't here. She and Tyler apparently hit it off."

Julie felt a familiar pang of grief at the thought of the woman who had died during her rescue. "Oh?'

"Yeah. Rumor has it Tyler told her that if she made it back, he'd tell her his life story."

Julie looked down at her list, the names blurred by unshed tears. "I wonder if he would have told her the truth."

"Who knows?" Donovan pulled off the ice pack and tossed it onto the table. "I think maybe we better go talk to Tyler and find out when he'll be up to the meeting."

------------------------------------------

Harmony looked up as they entered the infirmary. "If you're looking for Tyler, he's already gone."

Julie stopped, surprised. "Gone? Gone where?"

Harmony shrugged. "He was gone when I came in a couple hours ago. I assumed he went back to the RV."

Donovan stepped over to the small room. The books and backpack was gone, the bed had been stripped. There was no sign that anyone had ever been in the room, much less been there for three weeks. "Let's check the RV."

The RV Chris and Tyler shared was parked inside the mock stable. Several long tables ran the length of the walls, serving as workspace for the duo. Chris was at one such table, working on a variety of arrows and bolts. He looked up at their approach and grinned cheerfully. Julie cut him off before he could say anything.

"You speak in anything other than a normal tone and I swear I'll shoot you."

Chris' grin broadened. "That won't help your hangover."

"You're the one who's supposed to be hung over." Donovan complained.

The other man shrugged.

"Tyler here?" Donovan nodded at the closed door of the RV.

"Yep. I don't recommend disturbing him though."

"We need to talk."

"Yeah, I know. A few more hours, he'll be ready." Chris didn't look too happy.

"You think differently?" Julie asked.

"I'd prefer a few more days but Ham figures people won't be too happy about that. So make it about five this afternoon. That is." He grinned broadly. "If anyone is in any condition to come."

Both Julie and Donovan gave him nasty looks. "We'll be in the saloon."

Chris nodded before turning his attention back to the arrows. "Later."

"Yeah, later." The couple turned and walked away.

Chris waited until they had left the building before putting the arrow he'd been working on carefully on the workbench. Climbing the ladder into the hayloft, he walked back to where bales of hay screened off a section of the loft. Ham was there, kneeling on an old blanket, hands resting lightly on his thighs, his eyes closed. He looked totally relaxed and unaware of his surroundings but Chris had learned long ago that appearances were deceiving, especially where Ham was concerned.

"A few more days?" Ham said quietly.

"It would be better." Chris pointed out, leaning against the hay bales.

"For us, maybe. For them, no." He opened his eyes with a sigh. "I hate having to explain. It was hard enough with just you and ..." His voice faltered and he left the sentence unfinished.

"You knew it was gonna happen sooner or later. This kinda war, you couldn't have kept it hidden forever. I was always amazed we managed to keep it hidden this long." He studied his friend for a moment, seeing a side of him very few other people ever saw. His true self, with no mask to conceal how tired and unbalanced he was at the moment. Chris knew Ham's body was still working at readjusting itself to the intense healing that had been forced on it over the last three weeks. This was definitely not a good time for any kind of confrontations.

All he could do was hope Donovan realized that.

"What you gonna tell them?" He asked.

Ham blinked and reached up to rub at his eyes. "The truth. Not the whole truth, but the last thing we need is to lie to them and have them discover it later. That would make us look as bad as the Visitors." He paused. "What do they know?"

Chris hesitated and Ham gave him a sharp look. "They've been asking questions. Donovan's gotten a bit of information from his lizard buddy."

Ham's face hardened. "So Diana knows."

"Maybe not. Maybe he's on the up and up."

Ham snarled an alien word with contempt and Chris shifted uneasily. He wanted to point out that it had been over eight hundred years but he knew Ham's people were quite capable of holding a grudge until it died of old age then having it stuffed, mounted and enshrined in the local Legacy House just so they could revisit it later.

"So what did he say?"

"He didn't seem to know much. Just knew that you were a _Barbarosian_ and that - " He hesitated. "That your people heal quickly, etc, etc. That some of your people who have disappeared were captured by his - " He cut off his words as Ham's eyes flared amber with rage. Chris stood perfectly still, hoping the rage would pass, knowing the wrong word or gesture could send the man into a berserker state but if nothing else, his time on Earth had taught his friend self-control. The heat faded until Ham's eyes were ice-cold.

"And?" He asked in a tightly controlled voice.

Chris cleared his throat. "Apparently Willie's a follower of Xon." He ignored Ham's disbelieving snort. "And he gave them some more info. Not much. Just bits and pieces." He grinned suddenly. "Except that Xon's a dragon."

Ham chuckled, visibly relaxing. "Bet that went over big".

Chris relaxed as well. "Yeah. I don't think anyone believes it but ..." He ran through the rest of the compiled information.

Ham listened thoughtfully. "Interesting. Let me know when it's almost time, okay?"

"'Kay." He watched as Ham let his hands drop and he straightened again, working his way back into the trance-state that helped rebalance body and mind.

------------------------------------------

Julie walked into the saloon to the smell of fresh coffee. Caleb was at the machine, filling several mugs and handing them around to the former party goers. Only Father Andrew and Robert looked reasonably well; the priest because he hadn't had anything to drink and Robert because he had left early. She couldn't help but think the rest looked worse then Tyler had after taking a grenade full in the chest.

"Sancho will be here as soon as he can figure out how to get out of his bed." Caleb said in way of greeting. "Something about the floor being too far away."

Julie blinked. "He sleeps on a mattress on the floor!"

"So you see the problem." Caleb sank into a chair next to his son, who was resting his head on the table. Elias muttered an incoherent 'thanks' as he set a mug in front of him.

"Help has arrived." Harmony appeared in the doorway, a pitcher in her hands. "Chris sent this over. A surefire cure for hangovers."

Julie snatched up a nearby mug and held it out. "Pour." Was all she said and Harmony obeyed, laughing.

"Sure that's safe?" Natalie said as she followed Harmony inside.

"If it's what he uses, I don't care if it's safe or not. I know it works. And, no, I don't want to know what's in it." Julie took a swallow and then made a face.

"He said it's best if you just glug it down." Harmony said as she dug out a stack of Styrofoam cups and handed them out, filling them as she went.

"Could you run a cup over to Sancho? It might help him get moving." Caleb took a cup gingerly, setting another one in front of Elias.

"Sure." Harmony filled another cup and set the pitcher on the table. Donovan passed her as she walked out and Julie immediately offered him a full cup of the drink.

"Hangover cure. Sent over by Chris."

"Ah." Donovan chugged the glass down, grimacing. "I remember this stuff from college. Even tastes the same."

"So that's what it reminds me of." Mark tossed his crumpled cup toward a nearby trash can. It fell well short.

"I wouldn't have thought Farber went to college." Natalie said somewhat snidely as she joined Mark and Maggie at their table.

"Didn't." Farber said cheerfully from the doorway. "Went to 'Nam. Pretty much the same thing." He stepped in and to one side, revealing Tyler standing in the doorway.

Donovan wasn't sure what he expected. He certainly didn't expect Tyler to look the same as he had before his three-week sleep. Same black shirt, same black jeans, same battered black leather jacket, same boots, same cool calculating look of mild contempt. Only the ever-present gloves were gone but there was an addition; the ivory medallion now hung on a thick gold chain around his neck.

"Trying to out drink Chris is never a good idea." Tyler went to the coffee pot, picking up two mugs and filling them. "He's almost drunk _me_ under the table once or twice and I burn it off almost as fast as I drink it." He turned and offered a mug to the other man. Chris accepted it and retreated to a nearby empty table while Tyler settled onto a barstool.

"Sounds handy." Donovan remarked.

Tyler glanced at him, his eyes unreadable. "Not always." Then he frowned, his eyes shifting to the door just as Rico entered. The long-haired man paused, meeting Tyler's speculating eyes with his own then Tyler raised his mug in a silent salute. Rico smiled slightly and nodded before making his way over to the coffee pot. Filling a mug, he joined Chris at his table.

"Never forget a face?" Donovan asked and Tyler gave him his customary humorless smile.

"Never forget a _scent_." He corrected.

Donovan paused with his mug just short of his lips, looking at the man next to him. Tyler stared back, amusement flashing briefly in his dark eyes.

"What the hell are you?" Natalie asked.

Tyler's eyes flickered to her. "Not human." He looked back at Donovan. "But not Visitor." He paused to look at the door again. Sancho and Harmony came in, Sancho muttering in Spanish under his breath. The two grabbed mugs of coffee and settled at nearby tables.

Ham glanced at Caleb and nodded at Sancho. "He still swearing?"

"He's managed to keep it up on and off for the last three weeks." Caleb met Tyler's eyes. "Not too surprising, considering."

Donovan was surprised to see Tyler shift uncomfortably. "Is this everyone you invited?" He asked Donovan curtly.

"Yeah. And you still haven't answered Natalie's question." Donovan knew that he was going about this all wrong but Tyler was rubbing him the wrong way more then usual. Part of him knew that Tyler was doing it deliberately, his way of dealing with a situation he didn't like but that didn't help.

"I thought your scaly buddy told you." Tyler sneered.

"That's enough!" Julie said sharply. "From both of you. We don't have the time or the patience for your usual verbal sparring." Out the corner of her eye, she saw Chris hide a grin behind his mug and had a feeling he approved of her tactics. She waited until Donovan reluctantly backed up to sit on a barstool. "Martin didn't know much. Apparently, their leader doesn't like his people to know too much. He knew where you came from and ..." She stopped, seeing by the look in Tyler's eyes that he already knew the rest.

"That we can heal almost any wound. Even regenerate." He finished for her emotionlessly. "You have to wonder how they found_ that_ out."

"You already know the answer to that."

There was no change in Tyler's expression but Julie could see sudden flashes of white against the black mug he held and knew those deadly claws were unsheathed. A dispassionate part of her mind observed that if Tyler lashed out, he could cut her throat open and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him or to save her.

"The same way they are finding out about us humans, _amigo_." Sancho said suddenly. "By taking _our_people apart."

At Sancho's words, something changed in Tyler's eyes. The challenge seemed to drain from them, leaving behind a soul-deep weariness.

"Yes." He said quietly and Julie saw that the claws had retracted. Tyler leaned back against the bar, his eyes once again unfathomable. "Ask your questions."

"Can your people help us?"

"No." Tyler said bluntly. "Not - officially."

"Why not?"

"Earth isn't a Confederation world. The Visitors aren't part of the Confederation. The Confederation has no jurisdiction or right to interfere."

"Somehow that doesn't sound like something you'd subscribe to, Tyler." Donovan said. Julie shot him an angry 'shut up' look and Donovan fell silent. Tyler ignored him.

"You said not officially. What can the Confederation do for us unofficially?"

"The Confederation? Nothing. The beings in the Confederation?" He smiled slightly, teeth showing. "As much as we can possibly get away with."

"Can't you just ask them for help?" Natalie asked. "If they knew they had people in danger here, I'd think they'd have to do something."

Tyler's lips thinned and he answered curtly. "I can't ask for help. The Confederation can't offer it."

"Why not?" Natalie demanded.

Tyler slid off the stool, going to the coffee pot to refill his mug. Turning, he leaned back against the wall. "In the Confederation, I'm what's known as an Outrider. We go to inhabited non-Confederation worlds -- usually low-tech, usually pre-space travel -- to ..." He paused thoughtfully. "To keep an eye on them. So to speak. But there are other space-traveling worlds, other gatherings of worlds, and in order to co-exist, there are rules that have to be followed. One of those rules is that, as long as an Outrider is on a non-Confederation planet, we are ..." He paused again, obviously searching for the right word. "Expendable."

"Expendable?" Julie couldn't hide the disbelief in her voice.

"We can't ask for help. The Confederation can't offer it. If I get captured by the Visitors, I'm as dead as any one of you."

"Only in his case." Chris cut in. "It'll take a hell of a lot longer to die."

"And the Confederation wouldn't be able to do a thing about it." Tyler continued. "They could take me apart on live television and send the pieces back home and no being could do a damn thing about it. Officially, as long as I'm on this planet, I don't exist."

A long silence greeted that statement. Finally, Donovan spoke up. "Seems a little ... harsh."

"You might call it a defense mechanism. Keeps the Confederation from being dragged into ugly situations. Don't look so horrified, Gooder. We're all volunteers. We all know what we're getting into."

"Why do you keep an eye on other planets?" Natalie asked. "More importantly, why Earth?"

"Does it matter?"

"I'm just wondering if maybe this Confederation and the Visitors have the same intentions concerning Earth." She said curtly.

Several of the others shifted uneasily but Tyler only gave her his usual teeth-baring smile. "Hardly. The Visitors are here to suck the planet dry, among other things. I'm here to help you keep that from happening."

"But why?"

"Does it matter?" Tyler repeated.

"Leave off, lady." Chris said suddenly. "That's as good an answer as you're gonna get."

Natalie looked ready to argue but Julie stepped back into the discussion. "What kind of help will we get from your people?"

"The kind you're getting right now. Training. Weapons. Tools. We're limited by what we can bring to the Earth."

"Limited how?"

Tyler frowned. "We can't give you things that are obviously Confederation. Everything we bring has to be either something you could have stolen from the Visitors or something you could have created on your own. We've got some people smuggling things in but it won't be easy trying to evade the motherships, even in _ehtik_ ..." He caught the puzzled look on Julie's face and clarified. "Confederation smuggling ships."

"How much stuff have they brought to Earth already?" Natalie asked.

Tyler threw her a surprised look. "It's not a trip to the corner drugstore." He said in an amused tone. "They haven't brought _anything_ yet but some ships should be arriving any day now. Of course then we have to rendezvous with them and get the supplies."

"What about people?" Rico asked suddenly then looked unnerved at suddenly being the center of attention. He continued gamely. "Willie was talking about some species, scares the hell out of his people."

"The _Taz_!" Chris said suddenly and both he and Tyler started laughing. "Damn! If we could bring in a half-dozen of them, we'd have the planet clear in a month!"

"Exaggeration. With just a half-dozen, it would take at least three months. Even they have to sleep sometime." Tyler sobered, though there was still a hint of laughter in his eyes. "Unfortunately we can't bring any of the _Taz_ here. Either officially or unofficially. Against the Rules."

"Since when have you cared about rules, Tyler?" Donovan asked curtly.

All laughter vanished from Tyler's eyes. "Since I don't fancy getting knocked into orbit by a pissed-off Deity, all of whom take way too much interest in making sure the Rules don't get broken."

Chris spoke into the ensuring silence. "That's Rules with a capital R, kids. And, no, he is _not_ kidding. But I do feel obligated to point out that ya'll gotta remember that Ham here ain't human. And he don't _think_ like a human. And his idea of some things - like Deities - ain't_exactly_ the same as our idea of the same thing." He grinned at Tyler's sour look and the looks of relief on the others' faces.

"Spoilsport." Tyler growled. "Not that it isn't any less serious. We can't break the Rules, though we have been known to bend the little buggers until they shriek in agony. And we can work around them. _Carefully_ work around them. If we do it cleverly enough, they'll usually overlook it."

"From what I understand." Chris cut in with a broad grin. "It helps if you get them laughing too hard to do anything."

Tyler grinned as well. "Luckily, they're easy to amuse. But we can't actually_break_ the rules."

"What happens if you do?" Father Andrew asked.

"If I'm lucky, I just end up dead. You don't want to know what happens if I'm not that lucky." Tyler said dryly. "Where Earth is concerned, any Outriders still on the planet would have to leave and the Confederation would be barred from helping Earth in any fashion; official, unofficial, or otherwise." He looked around the room. "So it would be best if I continue to follow the Rules."

"What exactly is a _Taz_?" Rico asked. He blinked at the looks the others gave him. "What? I'm curious. I wanna know."

"The _Taz_ is the Visitors' version of the ultimate bogey man. Woman. Being."

"Whatever." Chris threw in, grinning.

Tyler grinned as well. "Whatever. They're vicious little fighters and they don't like Visitors."

"Why not?" Elias asked.

Tyler hesitated and something stirred in his eyes that Julie didn't like the look of. From the look on Chris' face, he wasn't too happy either. When Tyler finally spoke, his voice was tight. "The Visitors' ancestors were instrumental in the destruction of one of the _Taz_'s adopted home worlds."

Julie wanted to ask him to elaborate but Chris caught her eye and shook his head slightly, his eyes pleading with her to drop it. She blurted out the first thing she could think of in an attempt to keep anyone else from asking. "When can we expect a shipment from your people?"

The unsettling look faded from Tyler's eyes and he shrugged. "I had expected to hear from someone already. They must be delayed."

"And the raid on the water plant is in just a few days. I assume they're bringing things we need?"

"More like things that would be very, _very_ helpful. I know I'd feel a whole lot better if we had them beforehand. But if we don't hear from them within a few days, we'll have to write it off."

"Damn." Donovan muttered. "Can you contact them?"

Tyler shook his head. "No. The procedure is, they contact us."

"So we wait. Again."

Tyler gave him his teeth-bared grin, something Donovan found more disturbing then usual, considering the other man's words of the night before, and looked around at the others. "Any more questions? Other then from Maxwell that is, who undoubtedly has more questions then I'm prepared to answer right now."

This brought laughter from the group and a plaintive "But you will answer them?" from Robert.

"Some. Probably most. But not tonight." He hesitated, looking down at the mug he still held. When he looked back up, his face was still expressionless but there was an underlining strain in his voice. "Folks, being able to heal like I did comes in real handy but it also comes with a price and I'm still paying for it. So if you don't mind cutting this short?"

Julie wondered what it took Tyler to admit such a weakness then she realized that, a month ago, he wouldn't have. "There's no reason why any other questions can't wait until after the raid on the plant. That includes questions from you, Robert."

Robert made a face at her. "I can't help it. I know we're in the middle of a war but I still want to know, well, you know! The Visitors obviously haven't told us the truth about anything!"

"What makes you think he will?" Natalie asked, her voice an obvious challenge.

"I don't have a reason to lie." Tyler said with obvious sincerity. "My cover's blown. No matter how this war turns out, Earth will know about my people. About the Confederation. I won't always tell you things, won't always answer every question but I won't _lie_."

"Lying by omission?" Natalie asked bitingly.

Tyler shrugged. "If that's what you want to call it. There are some things I_can't_ talk about and some things I _won't_ talk about." He glanced around the room. "Just like everyone else in this camp."

Julie reached up to rub at her eyes, wondering if it had been a mistake to include Natalie. The young woman had a powerful hate for Visitors and, despite her earlier words to Donovan, it sounded like that hate was extending to include all aliens. She tried to keep a reasonable tone. "Look, it's been a long day and I think we have had enough discussion for the time being."

"I think we need to know more about what he's been doing here on Earth." Natalie looked at Donovan appealingly. "You can't ignore what he's been involved in."

"But we knew all that before." Elias said. "If we took the time to worry about the past of every person in the Resistance, we wouldn't have many people_ in_ the Resistance." He blinked, looking down at the empty cup that had held the hangover cure-all. "Man, this stuff really works. I got all that out without my head exploding."

"And it made sense." Caleb added.

This brought another spate of laughter. Even Tyler gave a surprisingly relaxed smile and Julie found herself wondering how much of his customary macho posturing was just an act to fit his Earth persona. Maybe, just maybe, this alien Ham Tyler would be easier to get along with.

Natalie shook her head impatiently. "That's not what I meant. Mark, you had some information."

Mark shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "Not enough info. A police buddy who used to be an MP said something about looking into the deaths of three sol ..."

The sound of a shattering mug cut him off and he looked up, freezing at the sight of naked fury in Tyler's narrowed eyes. His mouth went dry and Mark knew without a doubt that he was closer to death then he'd ever been in his life then Tyler opened his hand, letting the sharp shards, all that remained of the coffee mug, fall to the ground. Ignoring the blood dripping from his lacerated hand, he turned on his heel and walked from the saloon.

His own face more then a little pale, Chris stood, reaching for his jacket. He shot a quick look at Donovan, who blinked at the accusation in the other man's eyes and shook his head minutely. Chris studied him for a moment before following his friend out the door.

------------------------------------------

Ham stalked across the dirt-packed street, ignoring the curious looks following him as he entered the mock stable. Jerking the RV's door open, he stepped inside and collapsed into the nearest chair. His control went then and he began to shake with delayed reaction.

Chris stepped in behind him, shutting the door firmly. Tossing his jacket to one side, he grabbed the first aid kit and sat down next to his friend. "Don't be grinding those damn shards in deeper." He said quietly. "I don't want to be digging for them."

Ham blinked and looked down, realizing that he had his injured hand clenched tightly. He opened it and stared at the gashes, some with black shard chips still in them. Chris sighed and took the hand in a light grip, plucking out the shards with practiced ease.

"I don't think Donovan said anything. Bradley must have just got that little bit of info from his police contacts."

"But he will tell them." Ham said tightly and for a moment he was back in that hospital room, thinking the strange scent he had smelled was just another doctor. Not until the next day did he realized that the scent had been Donovan's. A part of him had always marveled that the newsman had never ever, over the years, used that story.

"Probably. Or did you want to explain?"

Ham gave him a black look then flinched as Chris cleaned the cuts.

"On a whole, they took everything pretty well." Chris commented.

Ham scowled. "They don't believe all of it."

"You'd be more upset if they did believe everything." He glanced up in time to see Ham smile slightly and grinned himself. "And it's going to get worse. Ya gotta admit, some things about your people are pretty fantastic. To us humans." He added hastily as he started to deftly bandage the hand. "Give them time, Ham. They're willing to listen."

"At least they're not breaking out the stakes and torches. Yet." Ham muttered. Chris' lips thinned, knowing that his friend's remark wasn't as frivolous as it sounded. Though he knew Ham's true fear wasn't of stakes and torches but of the modern-day equivalent: hidden research laboratories and secretive experiments.

Visitor territory wasn't the only place _Barbarosians_ have been known to disappear in.

"How about some chess?" He asked abruptly.

Ham threw him an amused look. "Trying to distract me?"

"Yes." Chris said curtly and was rewarded by a broader smile.


	6. Part Five

"I think everyone can start breathing again." Rico said in a dry voice.

"What the hell was that?" Maggie's voice squeaked.

"The main reason I'm really glad the man's on our side." Rico replied.

"Excuse me?" Natalie said. "He was ready to kill!"

"But, you will notice, he didn't." Rico looked to Julie for help. "Considering what he's been through over the last few weeks, it's not surprising he's a bit short of temper."

"He's right." Julie said. "Just because Tyler looks well doesn't mean he is." She glanced at Donovan, who was apparently in deep thought. "Chris was right. We should have waited a couple more days."

"I wasn't going to even bring it up!" Mark still looked a little white. "I mean, all I had was something someone said! And all he remembered was a note on some file some thirteen years ago!"

Natalie looked exasperated. "But he was investigated!"

"And cleared." Donovan cut in. "He had an air-tight alibi."

All eyes turned to him but Donovan didn't seem to notice. He was frowning at Rico, who looked back with no expression.

"You know about it?" Julie asked. She didn't really want to but she also knew that if this group, especially Natalie, didn't hear what Donovan knew, things would get made up; things that could be even worse then the truth.

When it became apparent that Rico wasn't going to help out in any way, Donovan looked at Julie. "I was one of his alibi witnesses. Me and maybe a half-dozen other news correspondents. He was acting as escort, him and several of his men." He shot a look at Natalie. "Which included Chris."

Natalie looked disappointed. "Then why was he investigated in the first place?" She said in a tone remarkably close to a whine.

It was obvious that Donovan didn't want to talk about it, unusual considering the animosity that existed between the two men. He glanced at Rico again but the other man was studying the dregs in his mug, thin-lipped and unhappy. Donovan rubbed at the bridge of his nose, just as unhappy. "He was investigated as a matter of routine." He said in obvious reluctance. "Because the three men who were killed were believed to be involved in the rape of Tyler's wife."

Reactions to this were varied. Caleb's face went as expressionless as Rico's and Elias let his head fall back onto the table with a thump. Mark muttered "I don't think I want to be sober for this, " and Sancho began to swear again. Natalie looked cheated.

"So he had motive."

"But no opportunity." Donovan said sharply, his patience with the woman obviously frayed. "Look, I have no doubt he was involved in some way but _he_ didn't kill them. And none of his men killed them. Every single one had a rock-solid alibi. Which, before you say anything, is suspicious unto itself but there is no getting around it. You also have to consider the fact that Tyler, who had never acted as escort for anyone before, was assigned to us by his commanding officer. Which means that he was probably involved as well." He looked around the room, a faint challenge in his eyes. "Officially, the three men ran afoul of drug dealers and paid for it."

"And it was let go at that?"

To keep from throwing his mug at the woman, Donovan set it on the bar behind him. "I saw the crime photos. What was done to his wife. She'd been savagely beaten. Pretty close to every bone in her face was broken. She almost died. As it was, she was in a coma for three months and she never really recovered. I understand she died a few months later." He glanced at Rico, who nodded curtly. "The only problem I'd ever had with it was the worry that the wrong men were killed. Which is no longer a worry."

"Why not?" Father Andrew asked in surprise.

"Scent. Tyler was the one who found her. He must have smelled the scents of her attackers and been able to identify them from that." Donovan grimaced at the thought of Tyler finding his wife, broken and bloody, in their home and being able to smell the scents of the men who had so savagely violated her on her body. Martin had said _Barbarosians_ couldn't go insane but he was willing to bet Tyler had come very close to it then.

"Not exactly something you can bring up in court." Rico said woodenly. "Even if Mrs. Tyler could have identified them -- which she couldn't -- it probably never would have gone to court."

"Why not?" Maggie asked in surprise.

"Because she was just some local gook girl who lucked into marrying some lonely GI." Rico snapped. "And her attackers were three apple-pie, squeaky-clean, all-American white boys from good families. In fact, a couple months after the attack, one of their fathers tried to bribe Tyler to stop making a fuss about it."

"And he survived?" Elias asked in surprise.

"Only because he made the bribe -- well, he didn't call it that -- in front of Tyler's commanding officer. If Major Barker hadn't been there, it could have been a very different story." Rico grinned unpleasantly. "As it was, the man got a full taste of what everyone here just experienced. He headed out of the country fast, let me tell you."

"Major Barker?" Donovan frowned thoughtfully. "That the same Barker who headed that shadow agency Tyler was involved in before the Visitors came?"

Rico shrugged. "Probably. He had a reputation for being able to train and command difficult soldiers. Of which Tyler qualified. From what I heard, he was the only man Tyler respected enough to listen to. He was also the one who destroyed a number of records concerning military personnel and secret agents. Including Tyler's and Chris'. He didn't want the Visitors to get their hands on them."

"The Visitors killed him?"

"No. He killed himself. He knew if the Visitors had gotten a hold of him, they could pry out the secrets those files held. Who were the best clandestine agents, best fighters, best leaders, best dirty-works masters. The world needed those people more then it needed him. He managed to take out the secret file backups and about a couple hundred Visitors when he did it though." He saw the question in Donovan's eyes and grinned without humor. "Mini-nuke. Took out the ultra-secret file storage complex in the Rockies. It was never reported in any papers; by that time the Visitors had enough control to guarantee such things weren't revealed."

Natalie cleared her throat pointedly. "Aren't we getting off the subject?"

"Not really." Julie stood up. "The subject's closed. We continue going the way we have been. Maybe we'll get more information after the raid, maybe not. Tyler was right. Pretty much every person in the Resistance has things they can't talk about and things they won't talk about. I think we can respect that." She looked at Natalie. "Just like we respect your right not to talk about what drove_you_ to join the Resistance."

Natalie's face went white. "That's hardly the same thing!" She started to protest but all around her, Resistance members were getting to their feet. Harmony and Father Andrew gathered up the dirty mugs and set them on the bar.

"When did it get dark?" Elias asked in surprise

"Don't know but I'm hungry." Sancho scooped up a couple Styrofoam cups and dropped them into a trash can. "Let's go see if there's anything left."

"Sounds good. Pop?"

Caleb didn't look up. "I'm not very hungry right now. Go ahead and eat. I'll get something later."

Elias looked like he wanted to say something more then shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

"Let's leave the mugs until later, guys." Julie said as she started to the door. "I think something to eat is called for right now."

The group left the saloon. Even Natalie, scowling darkly, tramped out the door, leaving Caleb alone with his thoughts. As soon as everyone was gone, Caleb rose and went back to the kitchen in the back of the saloon. It had been modernized, if you called the 1930's modern. The refrigerator was old and beat up but still worked and they used it to hold a broad range of drinks. Pulling out three ice-cold beers, he made sure the door was shut securely - it never closed properly - and walked out the back.

The mock stable's door was open, for some reason the duo never completely closed it. Just outside the RV's door, under a pool of light, Chris and Tyler had set up a small chess table and were in the middle of a game, ignoring the curious looks passersby gave them. Tyler, his back to the door, had shed his leather jacket; Chris' jacket hung on the back of the beat up lawn chair he was sprawled comfortably in.

Chris glanced up as Caleb approached but Tyler didn't seem to notice him, intent as he was in the game. His left hand was now wrapped expertly in bandages and Caleb couldn't help but reflect that this was probably not the first time Chris had patched his friend up.

Chris grinned in appreciation as Caleb set two of the beer bottles on the table next to the board. Tyler just glanced at the bottles and scowled.

"Donovan talks too much." He muttered, returning his attention to the board.

Shrugging, Chris took one of the bottles and gestured for Caleb to pull up a chair. He snagged a nearby battered lawn chair and opened it, sitting down and stretching out his legs. Twisting open his own beer, he looked over the chessboard then at the scowling man once again intent on it.

"He had to tell us something. You of all people should know what kinds of things people can make up." He took a deep drink then leaned back comfortably and started talking in a deliberately provoking tone. "I could now proceed to say the standard things one says in this situation. 'It was a long time ago.' 'Shit happens.' Etc, etc." Chris was looking at him as if he'd lost his mind but Caleb was watching Tyler, waiting for him to raise his head. When he did, his eyes were amber with anger. "I had a sister, once." Caleb said abruptly and Tyler's head jerked back as if he had been slapped, the anger fading from his eyes. "Different locations, different names, different endings, same fucking story."

The hardness eased from Tyler's face, leaving behind the raw agony of an open wound that refused to heal. "Linn ..." There was more emotion in Tyler's voice then Caleb ever thought possible. He looked back down at the board but not before Caleb caught the glint of tears in his eyes. "She was a strong woman. A fighter. Remember, Chris, when we first saw her?"

The big man smiled slightly, shaking his head in remembered wonder. "Yeah. That rifle she was carrying was bigger then she was. But she sure knew how to use it."

"After she was attacked, she just wasn't strong anymore. Mentally, yes ... hell, she was holding _me_ together ... but physically ..." He shook his head. "She just ... faded away." Tyler reached for the last bottle of beer and twisted off the top, drinking deeply.

Caleb rolled his own bottle between the palms of his hands with a sigh. "Renee wasn't strong, period. She killed herself three years later. Everyone knew who had attacked her but nothing could be done. They were too rich, too preppy, too white. Last I heard, each of them had made it big. Went on with their lives as if nothing happened." He looked at Tyler. "I much prefer your solution."

Tyler looked up, baring his teeth in a savage grin. "Where I come from, rape is a capitol crime. No trial. No appeals. No mercy."

"But then you have a foolproof way of telling you who the attacker is." Caleb pointed out. "Us numb noses don't have that option."

Chris choked on his beer and Tyler began to laugh, a deep, throaty sound that startled Caleb. Still chuckling, Chris wiped beer from his face and grinned at Caleb's puzzled look, tapping his nose with a wink. "That's what they call us. Ham's people. 'Numb noses.' Sometimes I get the feeling they think we are in a way blind. Handicapped." He glanced at his friend. "It can be unnerving as hell but useful too."

"But not always easy to hide or explain." Tyler moved a chess piece and leaned back, his voice peevish. "People always want to know how you know something. You can't explain that you know they're lying by the way their scent changes or that they've been where they claimed they haven't because you can smell them there."

Caleb swirled the beer remaining in his bottle, watching it idly. "What's it like?" He asked abruptly. "Where you come from?"

There was no immediate answer and Caleb looked up. Tyler was staring behind him but it was obvious he wasn't seeing anything in the barn. He was seeing something far away; innumerable planets and maybe even a universe or two away. There was no hardness in his eyes now; just a look of intense longing.

"_Nivana_." He said quietly. "It means green in one of our languages. Green grass, clear skies, blue oceans ... Imagine the Americas a few thousand years ago." He smiled slightly. "No pollution, no highways, no masses of people. Just rolling plains and forests. Small villages, roaming nomads ... "

As he listened, Caleb absently peeled the label from his now-empty bottle. In his mind's eyes, he could see the place Tyler was speaking of. Where a being could travel for days and not see another sentient being. The plains and forests and mountains filled with animals, both prey and predator. The streams and rivers teeming with healthy fish, water clear enough to drink from. The wide-open spaces used by land-locked farming communities and traveled by nomads. Where the fastest travel was by train and everyone's preferred mode of transport was either a carnivorous horse-creature or something that closely resembled a giant wolf. Where crime was so rare as to be non-existent, high-tech weaponry unseen save in the planet's single port city or carried by the _Taz_. Where diversity was the norm and families could consist of up to a dozen different species or more.

Caleb finally looked up as Tyler's voice trailed off. "With all that at home, what the hell are you doing here?" He asked.

For a moment, he thought Tyler was actually going to answer him but the sound of loud voices jerked the man from the near-trance homesickness had put him into. He looked over his shoulder and out the barn door but there was only darkness there. Whoever was arguing was out of sight. And not making much sense.

"When did it get dark?" Tyler asked in surprise.

Both Caleb and Chris started laughing and Tyler threw them a hurt look. "I was occupied. I didn't notice." He said grumpily.

"And I'd better go get something to eat before they close the kitchen up." Caleb stood, dropping the bottle into a nearby trash barrel. "I do have a quick question though, if you don't mind."

Tyler shrugged, tossing his own empty bottle into the barrel. "Shoot."

"You said_you_ can't ask the Confederation for help. If we contact them, can _we_ ask them for help?"

Tyler smiled, not his customary bared-tooth grin but what appeared to be a real smile. "I was wondering if anyone would figure that out."

"So that's a yes." Caleb made it a statement rather then a question. Even so, Tyler nodded. "Of course, we have to figure out how to contact them."

"I'm afraid you're on your own there."

"Not surprised." Caleb sighed. "'Night, you two."

------------------------------------------

Ham stared at the board, frowning.

"When did it get dark?" He asked again in a peevish tone then glared at his grinning friend.

"You're still off-balance, aren't you?"

"Yes. And I hate that feeling." Ham glanced at his watch. "Not even eight yet. Damn."

Chris grinned cheerfully. "So we keep playing. At least when you're like this, I have a chance of winning."

Ham scowled darkly.

Chris didn't mention that every game he won made him worry more.

------------------------------------------

Three hours later, Ham tipped his queen and stood, stretching. The base was quiet, only the sentries were still awake. At least, Ham reflected, they had better be. Maybe he should check them out before ...

"Leave the sentries alone." Chris said sharply and Ham gave him a wounded look.

"Would I do something like that?"

"Yes." He glowered at his friend then started to pack away the chess pieces.

"Spoilsport." Ham muttered as he vanished into the RV. A couple minutes later he stepped back out, now wearing a sleeveless black shirt, tucked into black jean cutoffs. No boots, no watch, a single fingerless glove on his left hand to protect the bandages there and the ring he normally wore now hanging on the chain with the ivory medallion. He looked quickly toward the open barn door to see if it was clear then was up the ladder and into the loft almost faster then Chris' eyes could follow.

"Bring back a couple rabbits! I'll make stew tomorrow!" Chris called after him then, shaking his head, he closed the box holding the chess pieces and folded up the table. Now, with his true origins made public, Ham was reverting more and more to his true self. He'd undoubtedly maintain his human persona for when he was dealing directly with the others but now ...

Of course, having a born predator for a best friend did have it's perks. There was always fresh meat for the table.

------------------------------------------

Ham heard Chris' shout and grinned. Pausing at the window facing the woods, he looked around carefully, narrowing his eyes at the sight of a telltale glow of a cigarette. Someone, he realized, was watching the back of the barn and he felt a surge of anger. He moved quickly to the wall then, using his claws like a cat, climbed silently up to the ceiling and through a hole to the roof. He paused, looking around cautiously. The glow hadn't moved, which told him that the watcher hadn't seen him. Not surprisingly. Even in the jungles of 'Nam, he'd had the hardest time teaching people to look up.

For a brief moment, he considered slipping over and giving the watcher the shock of her life but decided against it. Might be fun but might also blow his plans for the night. Making his way across the rooftops to the saloon, three buildings away, he climbed down to the ground and slipped through the shadows until he was close enough to smell the watcher. A man, he realized, whose name he didn't know but who was usually in Hansen's company and he felt an unexpected surge of relief. So it was Hansen who was having them watched, not Donovan or Julie. That damn Hansen was getting too big for his britches. Well, he'd do something about _that_ tomorrow.

Right now, it was time to hunt.

He knew that any large prey had been eliminated from these woods decades ago but rabbits and squirrels were abundant. Slipping into the darkness, he settled into an easy lope, heading away from the base and deeper into the woods.

One of the toughest things, he had discovered early on in his days on Earth, was the human tendency to sleep at night, a time when his people were most active. Sleep in the hottest part of the afternoon, hunt during the night. Well, not _just_ hunt but, he bet, that's what the humans would remember. They could be remarkably single-minded at times.

He paused at the edge of a small clearing, looking back toward base. He couldn't see it any longer, not even the glow of lights. Smiling slightly, Ham dropped into a crouch, breathing deeply to drink in the wide variety of scents flooding the air. Rabbit, squirrel, rat, feral cats, feral dogs - he'd have to watch out for them - even, to his surprise, a coyote.

On nights like this, with the scent of potential prey surrounding him and darkness hiding the fact that the trees were alien to his home world, that he could almost pretend he was at home, on _Nivana_, out on a dark night's hunt. His siblings and cousins would be ranged around him, each searching for the night's perfect prey. As much as he hated to admit it, it was most often Nefti, his younger sister, who found it. Capable of tracking the three-month old scent of a lizard over rock and through water, his grandfather had said about her in open admiration.

He could almost feel the quick rub of a cheek down his arm, another along his back, a younger leaning briefly against him, another taking refuge in the shelter of his body. It didn't matter what they did during their everyday lives - Archeologist, Outrider, _Prin_, High Warrior, _Dimra_, Teacher, Student. Or even what species they were - _Barbarosian_,_Timnor_,_Taz_,_Chi'Tok_,_Shikito_, or any of the other Confederation species. Here, in the open lands of_Nivana_, they were _kindard_. Never mind that the interplanetary organization that they had fostered was the largest and strongest in the known universe, that the schools populating the Confederation the finest known, that the peace they'd helped bring about had reigned for over 800 years. Here they could drop the pretenses and be their true selves.

A rustle in the grass caught his attention and, without moving, he looked that way. Scent told him it was a rabbit, a mostly-grown male and well-fed. He froze in place, watching, waiting for the rabbit to come out of cover. He was downwind of the animal so as long as he didn't move, the rabbit shouldn't detect him. And he could wait for a very long time.

Not that he needed to this time. The rabbit hopped from the underbrush, sniffing cautiously, searching for danger before hopping a few steps further into the clearing. It paused again.

Ham leapt out of his crouch, claws extended. Finally sensing him, the rabbit leapt as well but it was too late. Sharp claws caught it up then quick hands snapped it's neck. Instinct took over then and Ham was across the clearing, and perched on a boulder with his prize before the rabbit's squeal faded. Once there, he relaxed with a soft chuckle, reflecting that the old lessons never faded from one's mind. _'When hunting alone, kill quickly and get to safety. Remember, there's always something more dangerous then you out there and it's hungry too!' 'Yes, mother'_, he thought to himself as he took an intent look around, sniffing deeply to make sure there was no other predator out there.

Satisfied that he was safe, at least for the moment, he used a razor-sharp claw to deftly peel away the skin and cut away meat. With his teeth still blunted, he had to cut the meat smaller then usual, swallowing the pieces without chewing them. Heart, liver, kidneys, even breaking bone for the marrow inside, taking in the protein his body still craved. Those tasteless bars only went so far. While they did fulfill the need, they did nothing for the cravings.

Immediate hunger satisfied, he relaxed and looked around cautiously. The blood scent could bring out the wild dogs. The cats didn't concern him, his people were good at bargaining with felines, and a coyote would be easy to deal with but wild dogs were another story. Absently he licked blood from his fingers then grinned, wondering what the others at the base would think if they saw him now. Blood on his hands, blood on his face. Killing with his bare hands and eating the meat raw. At least, he reflected, his people didn't eat their prey alive. Of course it was still possible the Earthers would think his people just as bad.

He shook himself free of that disturbing thought and looked down at what was left of the rabbit. The bones were stripped clean of meat. Regretfully he wrapped what remained in the skin and dropped to the ground to bury it next to the boulder. In different circumstances, he could have done something with it but now he just didn't have the time. With his hunger satisfied, he could take a more leisurely time tracking down proper stewing rabbits for Chris. He slipped into the darkness.

Hours later, a couple rabbits, a squirrel, and a slow moving quail dangling from one hand, Ham walked back to the base. He passed by the watcher - no, a new watcher. This time it was a woman. The temptation to grab her and leave her hanging upside-down by her bootlaces was almost overwhelming but he wrestled the thought down, reminding himself that he still had to act human. Of course, a human would probably do something worse.

He wrestled _that_ thought down as well (Chris would be proud of him) and climbed up the side of the saloon, making his way back to the stable. Dropping down through the hole, he ignored the ladder and just jumped down to the stable floor, landing in a half-crouch. He glanced quickly at the barn doors, seeing with relief that Chris had half-closed them, blocking off curious glances while leaving their view of the street clear. He paused to hang the night's kill from a couple of nails and wash off blood in the rain barrel they kept filled with water. Blood remained under his claws and he shrugged. He could clean them later.

Glancing down at his clothes, Ham grimaced at the bloodstains. He'd better change before anything else or he'd forget and wouldn't bloodstains raise questions among the humans? Well, maybe not but he'd better not take any chances. He opened the RV's door and stepped in, closing the door firmly behind him. In the darkness, he could hear Chris' steady breathing. If anyone else had come in, the man would already have been on his feet, gun in hand, but years of working together had acquainted Chris with Ham well enough to know when it was him entering the room, even in his sleep.

Ham paused, leaning back against the door. Closing his eyes, he breathed in familiar scents. His own, Chris'. No one else was allowed in the RV and one of the more pleasant surprises he'd had when he'd finally come out of the healing sleep and came back was the realization that no one had searched it. They may have tried, there had been a variety of scents on the door, but no one had actually gotten inside. He wondered briefly what Chris had done to prevent that. Probably the live grenade trick.

For now, he was content to bask in the familiar scents, letting the humanness of Chris' presence bring him back to his own adopted human persona. Many people thought that Chris' habit of calling him 'brother' was meaningless, just something the big man called him but Ham knew Chris meant it and though he never referred to him the same way, at least not in English, the feelings were there. Brother, best friend, partner, and once, long ago, something much more. They both knew about the rumors concerning their relationship circulating through the camp - the same rumors that had followed them for years - but neither of them really cared what anyone else thought.

Straightening, he padded silently to the footlocker stowed under a table, stripping off the bloody clothes as he went. Tossing them to one side, he pulled out clean jeans and T-shirt and dressed quickly. On an afterthought, he double-checked the bandage covering his hand. There was some blood staining it but it was his own blood oozing outward. He must have torn open the wounds but it was nothing serious. Chris could help replace the bandages later.

He left the RV and went back to the roof. Once again, he went to the saloon and climbed down but this time he traveled through the shadows until he was on the other side of the street. He wanted a flat roof this time, one with a chimney, where he could see to the east and the only one in the base was on top of the old-time whorehouse that helped serve as both dorm and mess hall. Climbing up, he made his way to the east side of the chimney stack and settled in comfortably, absently cleaning his claws free of blood, waiting for the sunrise.


	7. Part Six

Ham scrapped the last of the blood from a claw and reexamined them intently. Yep, all clean. He flexed his fingers, watching the claws slip from their sheaths, razor-sharp and deadly. With a faint smile, he relaxed his hand and leaned back against the chimney stack, watching as the sun rose. He could hear the base starting to stir and reflected that he wasn't going to be able to descend from his perch unnoticed. Ah, well. It hardly mattered any longer.

It was strange, not having to hide what he was anymore. Oh, he'll still have to be careful, of course but at least he wouldn't have to wear those damn gloves all the time. And while he probably should continue to have his teeth ground down to human standards, he wasn't going to. That would spare him the usual three day headache and spare those around him the exceptionally bad temper that always resulted.

Across the street, he saw Chris pull open the door of the stable and look around. More notably, knowing full well that Ham would be on a rooftop, he looked _up_. Ham grinned and raised a hand, knowing the big man would catch the movement. He saw Chris grin and shake his head before disappearing back into the stable. Ham stretched out his legs and resumed his observation of the sunrise.

This rare enjoyment didn't last long, though, as a low-voiced but heated argument started below his perch. No, more like the argument resumed as Ham realized that the voices were the same from the night before. Only this time he could understand what they were saying. His smile faded along with his good humor as he listened. Not that the couple below him meant to be overheard arguing, especially by him. They must still think him to be in the stable.

His eyes narrowed with anger and he felt his finger-claws instinctively extend at what he was hearing. He lunged to his feet and literally flung himself off the roof, landing with cat-grace a few feet from the arguing couple. Natalie let out a startled shriek and Hansen jerked around, drawing a gun from his waistband. Ham ignored the gun now pointed at him and straightened, holding out his hand.

"Give me the message." He said curtly.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's impolite to listen to other people's conversations?" Natalie snapped.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's dangerous to steal other beings' messages?" Tyler countered, not bothering to look at the woman. "Give me the damn message!"

"What going on?" Julie shouted from the nearby trailer, then she was swinging down to the ground and walking quickly toward them, Donovan behind her. Across the street, Chris appeared in the doorway again, watching from a safe distance. "Jake, put that away! Tyler! Put_those_ away!" She gestured at his unsheathed claws.

Under different circumstances, Tyler would have found her wording funny but at the moment he was too angry. "Like hell. Hansen here has a message that should have come to me and I want it. Unless," He turned his head slightly to look at Julie suspiciously. "You already know about it."

Julie stopped dead. "Message?" She said in bewilderment. "What message? No message came in for you. We would have passed it on to Chris if one had."

Tyler stared at her thoughtfully for a long moment then looked back at Hansen. "So it was your idea to keep the message back then. Hand it over. Now." He continued to hold out his hand, claws still unsheathed.

"Jake?" Julie stepped closer. "What's he talking about? And put that gun away!"

"You're kidding, right? With that damn freak and his claws!"

"Jake!" Julie could put a crack in her voice when need be and she did so now, bringing the man's harsh words to a stumbling halt. Reaching out, she put her hand over Tyler's, covering those deadly claws, knowing full well he could tear her hand off with them. He didn't look at her, just continued staring at Hansen but after a moment she felt his hand relax under hers. When she took her hand away, the claws were sheathed. She turned back to Hansen, glaring until he reluctantly lowered the gun. "A message came in for Tyler and you held it back."

Hansen glanced at the gathering crowd of Resistance members and shifted uncomfortably. "Not exactly."

"What do you mean, not exactly?"

"Look, I just wanted to figure out the damn code! He was still out; he couldn't read it! I figured if we could read the message ..."

"You could study it until the sun grew cold and it wouldn't have done you any good." Tyler said shortly. "It wouldn't be written in any code. It would be written in one of my native languages, two of which, I might add, Chris can read."

"The supply run?" Donovan asked hopefully.

"Probably. Anything else would be written using standard WLF code so you can read it. Only one of my people would use something different."

"The message, Jake." Hansen stared at her blankly. "Give him the damn message, Jake! I seriously don't think you want him to search you for it!"

Hansen flushed angrily and looked around, obviously hoping for some support from the others. Seeing little, he shoved a hand into his pocket and pulled out a battered envelope, handing it to Julie, who turned and put it in Tyler's hand. Without a word, he pulled out the single piece of paper and read the message, eyes narrowing. Raising his head, he looked for Chris, finally spotting him nearby, leaning casually against one of the trailers.

"Fontana's bringing in the supplies." His voice was oddly remote.

Chris eyed him, sensing something was wrong but not sure what it could be. "Damn! We'll have to hide the women and put chastity belts on the sheep!"

Tyler smiled faintly. "He likes men too."

Chris grinned at the looks that little announcement caused. "So when will he be at the rendezvous?"

Tyler looked at Hansen coldly, crushing the paper in his hand before turning on his heel and heading for the stable. "He's already there. He leaves at noon."

Chris' mouth dropped open and he straightened. "Shit! No way can we get there in time!"

"If we take the bikes and go across country, we can."

Chris opened his mouth to protest but swallowed the words at a harsh look from his friend. Grinding his teeth, he threw an angry look at Hansen and turned to follow Ham into the RV. Slamming the door behind him, he leaned back against it, watching as his friend yanked his boots out from under a chair and sat down to pull them on with angry, abrupt motions.

"Ham ..."

"Don't say it. I know. But we don't have any damn choice!" He slammed his foot down to settle it firmly in the boot and began to lace up. "Trinity, I hate working with amateurs!"

"Some of them ain't half bad." Chris remarked. "Even Parrish has promise."

Ham grunted. "If it weren't for her time on the mothership. You better get the bikes ready."

Chris hesitated, wanting to argue but knowing there really was no other choice. Grabbing up his jacket, he opened the door, almost knocking Julie over. She jumped back, Caleb reaching out to steady her as Chris slammed the door closed. Tossing his jacket over a nearby lawn chair, he walked over to pull the protective tarp from the two motorcycles.

"I take it riding a bike for several hours in hot weather is not going to do a man who just recently had his guts rearranged by a grenade much good." Caleb remarked.

Chris glanced at him then out the door where the most of the base was watching Donovan pitch a fit at a belligerent Hansen. "Nope, not much good at all. With luck, the worst thing that'll happen is he'll be puking up blood by the time we get there."

"You have an odd idea of luck." Caleb muttered.

Chris looked at him, his face grim. "_Barbarosians_ can take a hell of a lot of punishment and keep going. People tend to forget that being able to heal the way they do doesn't stop them from hurting and that they will eventually pay for it."

"Can't someone else go?" Julie asked.

"Fontana won't give the supplies to anyone else." Julie turned to see Tyler, now wearing a battered denim jacket, shutting the door firmly. "Not even to Chris. Here, catch." He tossed a bottle and roll of bandages to the woman. "Make yourself useful. I need this hand re-bandaged." He held out his left hand. The gashes caused by the mug shards the night before were healing but still open and nasty.

"So we wait on the supplies. You said we won't need them."

"If I don't meet Fontana he'll assume something has happened to me. He won't bother to try and contact me again. Which means we won't be able to get _any_ supplies or help from the Confederation until I'm able to contact them again. Which may be never. If I'd gotten the message sooner, I could have sent a response."

"Or we could be taking something a little more comfortable." Chris muttered.

"Damn it." Julie twisted off the bottle's cap and poured the alcohol over Tyler's wounds. Other then a hissing breath, Tyler didn't make a sound. "How long will it take you to get there?" Julie asked as she worked.

"Going cross-country, maybe four and a half, five hours." Chris said

"And Fontana will be leaving at noon. Gives us little less then five hours to get there." Tyler pulled a pair of gloves from the jacket pocket and worked them on. Chris retrieved his jacket and pulled it on. Swinging onto one of the bikes, he grabbed a helmet and tossed it to his partner. Tyler caught it and swung onto the other bike. "Meanwhile, I suggest that you have a serious talk with your people. Remind them that this is a war, not some damn schoolyard game. And tell Hansen the next time I catch one of his friends watching the stable; I'll hang the mud sucker upside down by their bootlaces!" He pulled the helmet on and kicked up the stand.

"Wait a minute!" Harmony appeared in the doorway, her hands full. "You're going to need these." She thrust a canteen and a wrapped parcel at each of the men. "Just some sandwiches and cookies, I'm afraid. It's the best I could do on short notice." She said apologetically.

Tyler looked at her in obvious surprise before taking the offered items and stowing them away. "Thanks." He said gruffly. Chris grinned and winked at her. "Thanks, hon."

Tyler kicked his bike to life and steered it from the stable. Chris held back for a moment, looking at Julie. "Do me a favor and tell Hansen the next time he points a gun at Ham, I'm gonna shove it down his throat." Then he steered his bike after his friend.

Julie walked to the stable door to watch the bikes fade into the distance. "Good thinking, Harmy."

"Yeah, well. Figured they wouldn't get a chance to eat. Speaking of which, I better go help with breakfast."

"And I better go help cut Hansen down to size."

------------------------------------------

It was just noon as they pulled up to the rendezvous site. A battered army truck was parked next to a pile of rocks and they could see a man standing in its shadow, watching them warily. Ham brought his bike to a stop, slipping off his helmet and waving it at the newcomer. The other man relaxed, waving back in recognition. Kicking down the stand, Ham barely got off the bike before he was doubling over and throwing up.

"I knew it." Chris muttered, grabbing the canteen from his bike.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Chris looked up, not surprised to see the newcomer now perched on the pile of rocks above them, green eyes narrowed at the sight of blood mixed with vomit.

"Long story." Ham said hoarsely, accepting the canteen Chris offered him. "Tell you later. Fontana, you remember Chris."

"Been awhile but yes." The two men eyed each other, Chris with the uncomfortable feeling that Fontana reminded him of someone he didn't like. He heard Ham chuckling softly.

"Those damn Visitors had to get their ideas for their bodysuits somewhere." He said dryly. "Most of them are totally random ..."

"But some of them aren't." Fontana growled and Chris suddenly realized that Fontana looked like the Visitor, Steven. Or rather, Steven looked like him. Fontana's hair was longer and he had a light beard but still the resemblance was remarkable. Fontana saw his look and scowled, grating his claws against rock. "I'll rearrange that_phrashi's_ real face, I ever meet him."

"What did you bring us, Fontana?" Ham handed the canteen back to Chris.

"Weapons, ammo, explosives - those are from the _Taz_ - and a few surprises."

"The _Taz_ sent the explosives? That oughta be interesting. Can you stay awhile?"

Fontana looked at him, surprised. "Any particular reason?"

"I may have something I want you to do but it's going to be a few days before I can set it up. Well?"

The other man shrugged. "You're my last stop. Suppose it won't hurt to stick around a few more days. Except I don't have much experience pretending to be human."

"You won't have to. This group knows about us. Part of the long story." He added hurriedly before Fontana could ask.

"How about we throw your bike in the back of the truck and you can explain on the way?" Chris cut in. He caught Ham's amused look and scowled. "I don't fancy scrapping you off the pavement." He muttered.

"Hell, Chris, I'm not arguing. Which I know is alarming to you." Chris flushed slightly and Ham gave a wry grin. "But I'm not stupid. Let's get the bike into the truck and get back to the base. You gonna ride your bike back?"

Chris grinned cheerfully. "Hell, yes!"

Ham laughed, shaking his head. "Fontana, did you bring some medicine with you?"

"Yep. A whole slew full. Your mother and sister packed it up so you can be pretty sure it's got everything "

"Good. I think I need it."

"It's in the cab. Go on, we'll get the bike settled."

Ham nodded and made his way to the passenger side of the truck. The other two men exchanged glances.

"Okay." Fontana muttered. "Now I'm worried."

Chris grunted. "The sooner we get back to the base, the better. Here." He handed the canteen and food parcel from Ham's bike to Fontana. "He should eat something." Fontana nodded. Ten minutes later, bike safely stowed away, Fontana climbed into the driver's seat and tossed the parcel and canteen into Ham's lap.

"_You might wanna eat something._"

Ham glanced up from his injured hand. He had cut off the bandage and was smearing thick green _kuta_ salve onto the gashes. "_I don't suppose you have anything from home?_" He asked wistfully.

Fontana shook his head. _"Sorry, no. I was lucky to be able to bring the medicine._"

Ham looked at the open case between his feet. "_How did you manage that?_"

"_Your mother packed it. And I have never met anyone willing to argue with her._"

The other man grinned. "_True._"

"You guys ready?" Chris pulled up next to them.

"Ready! Let's go." Chris pulled out in front of them and Fontana started the truck to follow. Next to him, Ham tore open the parcel and eyed the food inside.

"_So what all did you bring?_" He asked.

"_Uh-huh. Long story first._"

Ham sighed and began to talk.

"I just got word from Martin about the pumping station." Donovan said to the group assembled in the saloon. "In thirty days there will be no water in Los Angeles."

"Damn." Elias said. "I'm not about to trade in my ride for a camel."

The resulting laughter was cut short by a sudden, chilling voice from outside, the curious reverberation identifying the speaker as a Visitor. "Everyone inside, freeze! We have you surrounded! You will be shot at the slightest movement!" The Resistance members snatched up their guns and dove behind the dubious shelter of tables and chairs, shocked at how easily their defense had apparently been breached then the doors were swinging open, to revealed a grinning Chris. Tyler followed him in, also grinning. A third man slipped in behind them and to one side to stand in the shadows next to the door.

"Pretty cool, eh?" Tyler's voice reverberated like a Visitor's. Reaching up, he slipped a device from his throat. "This little gizmo makes the larynx reverberate. Gives you that funny sound they make." He tossed the one he'd removed to Donovan and the few he had in his free hand onto a nearby table.

"Are you always so dramatic, Tyler?" Julie asked as she straightened, slipping her gun back into its holster.

Tyler looked at her coolly. "I like to get people's attention. That way I don't have to repeat myself."

Donovan inspected the device. "Julie and I can test these at the pump station. We'll see if they fool the Visitors as easily as they fooled us."

"You and her?" Tyler's dark eyes flickered between the two of them. "This is a reconnaissance mission, not a picnic in the park."

"You're out of line."

"Like hell." Tyler looked around at the others. "This girl can't be trusted. She thinks like one of _them_ now."

Donovan vaulted over the bar and lunged for Tyler. Before Tyler could react Chris had stepped forward, standing between the two men. Caleb grabbed Donovan's arm and yanked him to a stop. "Easy, Mike. The man may have a point, whether we like it or not."

"I led this unit for a long time before Tyler showed up, and I refuse to step down now because he's paranoid. I'm okay." Julie insisted.

"Tell us about the chamber." Tyler shot back. "Tell us what they put you through. Tell us the secrets you told them."

"I told them nothing!"

"We lost Ruby to get her back. How high does the body count have to go before you people see her for what she is?"

Julie looked as if she'd been slapped but she refused to back down. "Ruby did give her life to rescue me, and nothing I do can ever repay that. But if I walk away now, she died in vain." She looked around the room, aware of Tyler's cold eyes on her. "I don't intend to let that happen."

The others looked at each other, obviously weighing the arguments. Mark finally broke the silence. "I say we stick with Julie. I know I trust her a lot more than I trust him."

"Me, too." Sancho spoke up.

Something disturbing flickered in Tyler's eyes as a chorus of agreements filled the room. Julie saw it clearly when she looked back at him and found herself wondering at the wisdom of allowing him to remain then Tyler broke eye contact, lowering his head slightly and looking back over his shoulder. Julie followed his gaze and gasped involuntarily.

"Don't say it!" The newcomer had stepped out of the shadows and into the fading sunlight. "I don't want to hear it! And if I do hear it, I will throw a chair at you." He added with a snarl that showed an alarming amount of sharp teeth.

Despite the beard and longer hair, the newcomer's resemblance to Steven was disturbing. Of course, she doubted very much Steven would ever be seen in a pair of ragged cutoffs, an untucked sleeveless shirt and bare feet. Apparently he saw no reason to bother with boots. A medallion, similar to the one Tyler wore but made of what appeared to be gold, hung around his neck and broad black bracers covered each forearm.

Julie shook off her shock and stepped forward, offering her hand. "You must be Fontana. I'm Julie Parrish."

Fontana looked at her extended hand then at her.

"What? Not good enough for you?" Elias said resentfully and Fontana threw him a baffled look.

Tyler sighed and reached up to briefly rub at his face. "Welcome to Earth, Fontana." He said dryly as he turned to walk for the door, pausing briefly next to Julie. "_Barbarosians_ don't shake hands." He said to her before clapping a hand onto Fontana's shoulder. "Fontana's brought us some other new toys. Come check them out."

Embarrassed, Julie let her hand drop. _They're not human,_ she reminded herself. _They look human, they sometimes act human but they're not human._ She watched as the others filed out, leaving her and a pensive-looking Donovan briefly alone.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I've seen that guy before. And, no, I'm not thinking of Steven."

"Where?"

"I'll tell you later. Let's go see what he has for us."

Tyler and Fontana were handing one of their motorcycles down to Chris and Rico when they finally joined the crowd around the truck parked outside the stable. Tyler sat down on the tailgate, watching as Fontana picked up a medium-sized box and thumped it down next to the other man. Tyler flipped the top off and pulled out a Visitor handgun.

"Toy number one. Twenty Visitor handguns, twenty Visitor rifles. They can pass for the real thing but these were made in the Confederation."

"That's not very many." Hansen protested.

"We can't bring very many. The Visitors will notice if a sudden large number of their weapons appeared in Resistance hands. These can be passed off as having been stolen from them. All total, Fontana brought in ... what? Three hundred of each?"

Fontana nodded, dropping another box on the tailgate. "Dropped a bundle off in New York, the Bayous ... Gator sends his best, by the way ..." He said to Tyler. " ... Mississippi, and Seattle. That's where I picked up those voice gizmos. But these are what are important." He opened the box and tilted it so what was inside could be seen. "Power cells for the weapons. Enough to power these weapons and a couple dozen more for a couple of years, you use them wisely. I even managed some of the larger power cells for shuttles, if you can use them. If not, you can trade them to other units that have shuttles."

"Now that's great." Donovan said in obvious relief. "I was beginning to wonder how we were going to power these babies."

"We can manage a lot of them because it's very unlikely anyone is going to check power cells. Not that it matters. They are virtually identical to the ones the Visitors actually use. A number of power cells shipments have been hijacked by humans so they'll just think these cells are from them." He stood and moved to a crate, pulling a rifle from it. "Johnny sent these along." He crouched back next to Tyler, handing him the rifle. "A group in New York is working on more powerful rifles and handguns. These are experimental but combine them with Teflon bullets and they'll cut a fully armored Visitor in two. Downside is their range isn't the best. No long-range versions yet, I'm afraid. I only got five of the rifles but I got fifty handguns and eight crates of Teflon bullets. Rifles and handguns use the same kind of bullets."

"Finest kind." Tyler tossed the rifle to Rico. "Anything we can't use, we can trade."

"That's the plan. Explosives." He nodded at two metal briefcases set to one side of the truck. "Small but powerful. Just enough for the job."

"Why just enough for the job?" Elias asked.

"Because these particular explosives can't be created on Earth." Tyler explained. "And they shouldn't be here to begin with. That's one of those careful little workarounds I mentioned last night." He picked up the Visitor handgun he had set down and reached for a power cell. "Johnny's still in New York?"

"Yep. He's coordinating the deliveries. Tom's off-world with his Trinity. Ras is headed back to the Cathedral. Nefti and Rik are both still in Egypt, helping the Bedouins with their Resistance efforts. Allan is organizing the African tribes. Rumor has it that Wolf has been seen in Rome." Fontana opened another box and pulled a bundle of metal.

"And Rome is still there?" Chris and Tyler said in perfect unison, with matching degrees of disbelief.

Fontana glowered at them both. "Hey, she is not that bad!" He paused thoughtfully then shrugged. "All right, she is that bad. But it is still there. So far. Here." He offered the bundle to Tyler. "At least Blackie isn't here. Yet."

"If he shows up, I'm leaving the damn planet." Tyler handed the handgun to Fontana and took the bundle. "And William?"

"Still in Switzerland."

Tyler shook his head in frustration, muttering something under his breath as he, slid off the tailgate. "This is a particularly useful little contribution." He shook out the bundle, revealing what appeared to be a vest of interlocking metal rings and tossed it causally over a hitching post, stepping back a few paces. Fontana aimed and fired three rapid bursts. Sparks radiated off the metal before dispersing.

Tyler stepped back to the post, hooking a claw in one of the metal rings and lifting the vest away, revealing remarkably minor scorch marks on the wood.

"They're not 100 percent effective but whoever wears one will have a better change of surviving. Here, Slick, catch. Don't say I never gave you anything." He tossed the vest to Sancho, who caught it then yelped and juggled until he found a cool stretch of metal to hold onto. Tyler grinned. "That's the downside. The metal _will_ get hot and you _will_ get burned but you also have a very good chance of surviving anything but a direct point-blank hit from a Visitor handgun. Rifles are a different story."

"How many of those do you have?" Julie asked sharply.

"Thirty. Well, actually," Fontana pulled a bundle from the box, tossing it to Chris. "Thirty-one. Myra sent this one along special."

Chris caught the bundle and grinned at Tyler. "I always liked your mother."

Tyler grinned back. "Apparently she likes you too."

"And they can be made on Earth. The problem is getting the right combination of metals to make it work. I gave the specs to Johnny and Gator. They'll get them to people who can make them." Fontana glanced around the group. "And that's it, folks."

"Great. Everything will be a big help. Thank you." Julie said in genuine gratitude. "Let's get the truck unpacked."

"I'll take those." Tyler said sharply as Hansen reached for the two containers of explosives. "Fontana, you mind?" Fontana handed down the two cases.

"If they're going to the same place ..."

"They're not. Coming, Fontana?"

"I'll get my journey pack. And the med kit." Fontana jumped down and headed around the truck to the passenger side.

"Med kit?" Julia asked with interest.

Tyler shook his head. "Not much you can use. And anything you can use, you already have some variety of." Tyler turned and walked into the stable. Fontana reappeared and followed him, a pack slung crossway across his back and a leather case in one hand.

Julie looked after them and sighed, wishing she could figure Tyler out. Sometimes he seemed more then willing to help, to be friendly but then he'd step back and be the remote, unemotional killer. His response to her in the saloon had surprised her more then she liked to admit.

"Confusing, ain't it?" Chris said behind her and she started. She turned to glare at him.

"Don't do that! I have a hard enough time with him doing it. I can't begin to figure out how you do it." Chris grinned cheerfully then his words sank in. "What's confusing?" Chris nodded toward the stable and Julie understood. "Oh, right. How do you put up with it? _Why_ do you put up with it?"

Chris looked at her in surprise. "He's my best friend." He said simply. Chris scanned the group of people clustered around the truck, finally catching Robert's eye. He gestured for the man to join them before turning back to Julie. "For the past several years Ham's been living on Earth and he's had to act ... no, that's not quite right. He's had to _be_ an Earth human. The fact that you know he isn't human doesn't make it any easier."

"What's up?" Robert asked as he joined them.

"A change in plans, kinda." He paused, obviously wondering how to phrase what he wanted to say. "The next few days are gonna be hell on wheels. Ham had hoped to have at least a month to make sure your people were ready for the big raid." Julie took a deep breath, ready to protest that they were ready. Chris shook his head firmly. "Don't say it, lady. Ham's the expert. You may hate his guts, you may hate what he does but he's gotten more people through hell than you could ever imagine. That's his job. The best thing you can do is stand back and let him do it." He paused then added dryly. "I think I can safely say that pretty much everyone in the base is gonna seriously hate his guts by the time the raid comes around."

"Then why does he do it?" Julie asked.

Chris hesitated then sighed. "Because if he doesn't, someone else will. And that someone might not be as good as he is or as careful. So he puts up with the hate and the curses and the damn ghosts." Chris cut off his words and shook his head. "So it would be best, Parrish, if you just let him do what has to be done and back him up 'cause I can pretty much guarantee a whole lot more of your people will be coming back then there would be if he weren't here."

"And the change in plans would be?"

Chris smiled slightly. "Major league distraction. We have about seven days left before the raid and it occurs to me that if folks knew more about Ham, his people, the Confederation, things might - big might that - go a bit smoother. So I was thinking, maybe in the evenings, Maxwell might like to chat with Ham." His smile broadened as Robert's eyes lit up. "'Course in a couple days, you're likely to hate him as much as everyone else."

"I can deal with it."

"There's a couple stipulations attached to that." Chris added firmly. "Don't ask questions about the Visitors or about what happened concerning them. I know you think it'll help and maybe it can but it's also the one thing that'll get Ham to clam up. Fast."

"Why?" Julie asked.

Chris shrugged. "I know a lot about Ham and his people and he'll tell me a lot of things, if I ask the right questions - but that, I don't know. 'Sides, everything they know about the Visitors is a good eight, ten centuries out of date. They haven't had any contact with them since the split."

"And what else?" Robert asked.

"Ham ain't gonna answer every question. Don't push. Keep in mind that Ham's been having to hide who and what he is for a very long time and this ain't gonna be easy for him. And stick with asking Ham the questions. Don't ask Fontana." Chris grinned ruefully. "Fontana's a bit of a joker. Take anything he tells you with a grain of salt and double-check it with Ham. Ham'll either confirm it or toss Fontana down a flight of stairs. Not for the first time, I might add." He saw the looks on their faces and shrugged. "_Barbarosians_ play rough."

"If that's playing ..."

"Don't worry. Fontana can take care of himself. I don't start to worry until the blood starts flying and the screaming starts." Chris said. "Do you play chess, Maxwell?"

Robert blinked at this sudden shift in subjects. "Ahhhh, yes." He said, thinking of long evenings in the field, playing endless games of chess with Arch Quentin. He felt a familiar pang of grief. "Not too badly either."

"Good. Ham likes to play chess to relax and that's the best time to get answers. If you're still up for it, come over tomorrow night." He turned away.

"Does Ham know you're setting this up?" Julie asked hastily and Chris looked back at her, grinning.

"He does now." He jerked a thumb upward and the two looked up to the wide-open loft doors. Both Tyler and Fontana were there, Fontana sitting cross-legged in the doorway, Tyler leaning back against the door jamb, legs stretched out in front of him. Neither man was looking at them but they couldn't have helped but overhear what had been said.

Chuckling, Chris disappeared into the stable. Robert took Julie's arm in a light grip and pulled her away from the building. "Well, I'm not getting bricks dropped on my head so I assume the plan stands." He muttered and Julie laughed.

------------------------------------------

"So how much did you two hear?" Chris asked as he stepped up into the loft.

"Just from 'Take everything Fontana tells you with a grain of salt ...'" Ham grinned at Fontana's scowl. "Good advice." This time Fontana bared his teeth, a reminder to Ham that his teeth weren't blunted. Ham wasn't impressed. "We're either telling the truth or saying nothing, Fontana. Remember that."

"I'll get the stew started. Or are you hunting tonight?" Chris looked at his friend.

Ham sighed. "As much as I'd like to, I'd better not. Better get all healed up, just in case someone else pulls a stupid stunt."

"Oh, right." Fontana looked down at the dispersing crowd. "Which one's Hansen?"

"Leave off, Fontana."

"Hmmmm?" Fontana continued to scan the crowd.

Ham said something sharply in their native language and Fontana subsided sulkily. "Stew would be great. Thanks, Chris."

"Be a couple hours yet." Chris said as he climbed back down the ladder.

"We'll hand the new weapons out in the morning." Julie rejoined the others in storing away the new supplies. "Thirty vests. More then enough for the raiding party."

Sancho reluctantly folded the vest Tyler had tossed him and set it back into the box with the others. "They'll be handy."

"Everything will be handy. Some things will be life-saving." Julie glanced at Donovan. "Looks like we have a reason to be thankful to Tyler."

Donovan made a face. "Don't remind me."

Julie laughed. "Okay, everyone. Might want to get some rest. I have a feeling the next few days are going to be very ... wearing." Locking up the supply room, Julie shoved the key into her pocket and grabbed Donovan's arm, separating him from the others.

"What's happening over the next few days? Other then multiple anxiety attacks." Donovan asked.

"Training. Tyler-style. Chris warned me."

"Ouch."

"Ouch is right. Now, what's this about seeing Fontana before?"

Donovan slipped an arm over her shoulders and together they walked toward the woods. "It was back in 'Nam. When Tyler was escorting us. A chopper carrying a bunch of nurses - maybe a dozen of them - had engine trouble and they had to stop at the base for repairs. I'm pretty sure Fontana was the pilot."

"So he's the one who killed those soldiers."

"I don't think so. See, I remember wondering, when I first saw those nurses, why the hell anyone would wear gloves in 'Nam." He stopped and turned to look at her. "Every single one of those women was wearing gloves."

Julie glanced back at the stable. "So, what did you find out about them? Don't tell me you didn't ask."

Donovan scowled. "They wouldn't talk to me." He muttered. "They'd just look at me blankly and move away."

Julie grinned at Donovan's sour look. That must have been a blow to his ego, having so many women ignore his charms.

"But they did talk to Tyler." Donovan said in sudden revelation. "I remember that. And the pilot spent most of his time with his head in the 'copter's engine so I couldn't talk with him. They weren't there very long. By the next morning they were gone."

"Did what they came for and then left. I wonder who they were."

------------------------------------------

Ham stared over the camp, though he didn't actually notice anything, certainly not the gawkers who kept passing by. A part of him dreaded what he knew would happen. He'd been here, on Earth for so long, so cut off from his own people, that he barely remembered what it was like. He shouldn't ...

"Kom. We have an audience."

Ham snapped free of his thoughts and glanced downward. Most people looked hastily away and he frowned. "We should go down."

"No." Fontana said sternly. "Kom..."

"I can't." Ham said, not looking at the other man. "I have to ..."

"No." Fontana repeated. "You've been on Earth too long." He rose. "Come." Fontana turned and walked back to the small room formed by the bales of hay.

Ham hesitated but he knew any resolve he may have had was already gone. Reaching down, he pulled off his boots, setting them to one side before rising. As he entered the little room, he slipped off his windbreaker then his shirt, draping them over a bale. Fontana, now shirtless, was standing in the middle of the room and Ham stopped close to him, close enough to smell his scent. Too close - a part of him wanted to pull away but it was already too late.

Fontana moved closer, close enough to nuzzle lightly at the side of Ham's face, taking in his scent. Ham shivered and closed his eyes, trying to keep control. Slowly he nuzzled Fontana's cheek, breathing in scent then Fontana's jaw was rubbing sharply, abruptly against him. He gasped at the almost forgotten feeling, instinctively rubbing his own jaw on the other's cheek. After being separated for so long from his own people, it was almost intoxicating to be able to drink in another's scent so freely, to rub long-unused scent glands against another's skin. Their scents co-mingled and Ham sighed, feeling barriers falling away, knowing that he'd crossed a bridge he'd never be able to return to. A part of him regretted it, another part feared what it meant for the future but most of him rejoiced in the freedom.

Drunk on scent, he barely noticed Fontana helping him to the ground, too busy reveling in barely remembered sensations. Fontana pulled him close and Ham found himself laughing softly, unable to stop as he rubbed his jaw and cheek along the other's neck and shoulder. He felt a joy he hadn't felt in years as his human self fell away. Slipping his arms around the other man, he buried his head against Fontana's chest, listening to half-forgotten sounds of contentment, only dimly aware of a number of curious furry bodies joining them.

------------------------------------------

It was closer to three hours later when Chris climbed back up the ladder, grumbling under his breath at all the unneeded exercise he was getting. The duo had long since abandoned their places at the door and had retreated into the 'room' created by the bales of hay. He peered around a corner, grinning at the sight of Ham and Fontana curled up together on the blanket. Ham had shed everything but his jeans and Fontana no longer wore the faded shirt. They were facing each other, legs entwined, arms around each other, Ham's head tucked under Fontana's chin. Both appeared to be asleep. Maybe a dozen cats, both domestic cats from the camp and a few feral ones from the forest, were curled up with and on top of them.

It was just the kind of scenario that would fuel the speculation running rampant through the camp but Chris knew it was as innocent as a pair of kittens curling up together. If he'd been with his own people when he'd been injured, Ham would have spent his time in the healing sleep curled up in a literal nest of _kindard_. He'd seen it once, the one time he'd been on Ham's home planet, years ago. One of Ham's brothers had been kicked by an enraged _rhi'sar_, one of the deer-like creatures they so often hunted. Kicked so hard that ribs had broken and a lung injured. Joachim had spent the next few days with a protective cocoon of sleeping family and friends and even the occasional visitor curled up around him, the members changing as needed. Even a visiting _Taz_ had gotten into the act, although she had lain across the top of the others with her rifle cradled in her arms while she slept.

Ham's mother had explained the reasoning. As long as the injured party knew friends and family were there to protect her, she could sleep deeply with no worries about having to protect herself. That, he suspected, had been the problem when Ham had been injured here. There had been no soothing presence of _kindard_ to make him feel safe enough to let go completely. Chris had done his best, staying with Ham as much as possible and leaving his jacket, laden as it was with his scent, behind when he couldn't be there but it apparently hadn't been enough.

"You could join us, you know." Ham said suddenly and Chris jumped then scowled at his friend's knowing grin. At first, Chris had had a hard time getting use to the way _Barbarosians_ treated each other. They were almost constantly touching in one way or another. Even the most serious of meetings were often held with the participants practically lying on top of each other. The way Ham acted on his home world had been almost the complete opposite of the way he did on Earth. Chris often wondered how much of an ordeal it really was for him to live here.

On the other hand, for a guy who had spent much of his childhood locked in a foster care system that gave little comfort and less love to its charges, the unrestrained affection and acceptance of the_Barbarosians_ was a memory to treasure. Ham had called him _komessee s'iishai_ -- heart brother -- and for his family that had been enough to accept him wholeheartedly into their ranks. For three weeks, he'd been uncle to an alarming array of children, ranging from four-legged to furred and tailed to winged to water-breathing and much more, some of whom had been ten times scarier-looking then the Visitors could ever be. Including, he remembered with a grin, maybe a dozen _Tazlings_.

"Maybe after we eat. The stew's done."

"Stew's done." Ham poked Fontana in the ribs with a claw. "Grab your shirt and come on."

Chris started back down the ladder. Fontana and Ham simply leapt down to the stable floor, landing gracefully on fingers and toes. "Showoffs." Chris grumbled. "I'm not going up that ladder again tonight."

Ham grinned and gestured out the open doors. "Anything going on?"

"Nothing too alarming. Whatever Parrish and Donovan said to Hansen seems to have subdued him, at least for a time. What's the plan for tomorrow?"

Ham grinned wickedly. "Funny you should ask ..."


	8. Part Seven

Julie had the raiding party up at the crack of dawn. Even so, it was obvious Tyler had been up for hours. He was already in the saloon, the incomplete floor plans for the water plant spread out on the bar and tables.

"Man, don't you ever sleep?" Elias grumbled as he made his way to the coffee pot.

Tyler threw him an amused look. "Every couple a two, three days, for maybe four, five hours." He said in a surprisingly pleasant tone.

"Really?" The look Tyler gave Robert was less amused and the anthropologist remembered Tyler's promise of two nights before. '_I won't always tell you things, won't answer every question but I won't_ lie.' "I mean, most mammals have a day/night cycle. It sounds like your people don't follow that pattern." He knew he was babbling to cover his gaffe and from Tyler's slight smile, he knew it as well.

"Depends on the race, actually, as to rather we sleep day or night. My people prefer to sleep in the afternoon. In emergencies, I can go without sleep for days but then I end up in a healing sleep until I catch up. Good points, bad points." He pulled one of the plans free of the others and set it on top, studying it thoughtfully and Robert bit his tongue on any further question. They were here to plan and prepare for the raid. He'd have his chance for questions tonight.

Julie grinned at the obvious effort Robert was making not to ask questions. Hopefully they would soon be too busy for questions; a thump drew her attention and she turned to see that Fontana had set one of the boxes of new weapons on a nearby table. Chris and Rico were behind him, also carrying boxes. She was about to thank them when she realized that she had the only key to the storeroom and - she checked quickly - it was still in her pocket.

"How did you get in the storeroom?!" She blurted out. "It was locked!"

Fontana blinked at her. "And your point is?" He asked politely.

Setting down his box, Rico caught her eye. Holding up a hand, he mimed extending a claw and then using it to pick a lock. Julie let out the deep breath she had taken.

"Mike, remind me to replace all the padlocks with combination locks as soon as possible."

"You can take those apart, you know." Fontana said cheerfully and Julie glared at him.

"Fontana, out." Tyler said curtly.

"Well, you can. I mean ..."

"Fontana!" Fontana was out the door and, from the sound of it, on the roof before Tyler finished the word. There was a sudden scrambling sound, a slithering and then a crash.

"I think those shingles are rotting." Maggie said helpfully, looking back as she opened the doors to step into the saloon.

"Yes, I noticed that. Thank you. Ouch." Fontana's voice came from ground-level.

"Anything broken?" Tyler called over his shoulder.

"Several shingles and a crate. An empty crate, thank Trinity."

"On you!"

There was a moment of silence while the man checked. "No."

"Good. Now go away!"

"He isn't joining us?" Natalie asked.

"Fontana's a smuggler, not a fighter. He'll smuggle things onto and off of the planet but he doesn't fight unless he absolutely has no other choice. He's covered by an entirely different set of rules then I am."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning if he gets caught, he has a very good chance of surviving. Not many beings are willing to mess with the Confederation's Smuggler Guild. Of course, in a situation like this, it's easy for ... " His voice trailed off and Julie was surprised to see an old pain flash through his eyes.

"People to disappear?" Julie finished and Tyler slowly nodded.

"Of course, the Guild can, and will, retaliate. Though I doubt that matters to the Visitors." Tyler gestured to Chris and together they attached the latest schematics for the plant to a nearby wall.

"Smuggler's Guild? What kind of civilization has a Smuggler's Guild?" Natalie asked scornfully.

Tyler gave a sharp bark of laughter. "And who said we were civilized?" His hand suddenly flashed to one side and there was a sudden sharp squeak then Tyler was casually tossing the claw-slashed body of a rat into a nearby trash can. "Damn cats are falling down on the job." He grunted to his partner as he pulled a rag from a nearby pile and absently cleaned his claws, ignoring the shocked looks some of the others were giving him.

Chris eyed the table where the rat had been hiding behind a stack of videos. "Damn rats are getting too bold." He indicated the plans they had just hung up. "This the latest?"

"Yeah. And I suspect they're none too accurate. Parrish, when are you two going out to the plant?"

"Day after tomorrow." Julie replied, her own stomach a little queasy from the casual way Tyler had killed the rat. While Tyler still didn't look too happy about her going, at least he wasn't arguing about it.

"Fine. So next couple days we work on shooting and moving quietly in the new vests. Being made of metal, they will make noise so ya gotta get used to moving quietly in them. So each of you grab a vest and pair off. Head for the large field to the north. We'll start there. Oh, and watch out for wild dogs. There are a couple packs of them in the forest."

Donovan handed out the new weapons, splitting the Visitor handguns up between the best shooters and the other guns to the remaining raiders. They had decided to take only a few of the rifles, giving them to their best marksmen. Each raider grabbed a vest as they went out the door, Tyler and Julie watching them leave. As the last one left, Julie picked up her vest and then grabbed another one, shoving it at Tyler as he passed her. He glanced down at it.

"I don't ..."

"We have plenty. You have no reason not to wear one." She said firmly.

His eyes flickered to the box, seeing three vests still there. "Everyone has one?"

"Yes."

He hesitated briefly before stripping off his jacket and taking the vest.

"You realize that you're driving Robert crazy."

Tyler's lips quirked. "I have to amuse myself somehow. Don't worry. He'll find it's worth it." Pulling his jacket back on, he started to walk by her.

"Who disappeared?" Julie asked abruptly then wished she hadn't as Tyler stopped dead, back visibly stiffening then he was gone, the swinging doors slamming hard into the walls.

"You do like to live dangerously." Fontana said and she jumped.

"Don't do that!" She turned to face him, angrier with herself then with him. At least until she noticed he was absently juggling a familiar padlock in his hand. "The Confederation has a Thieves Guild as well, doesn't it?"

His lips quirked into a smile. "I made journeyman before I transferred to the Smuggler's Guild."

"Not surprised." She turned to walk out of the saloon.

"His father."

Julie stopped dead. "What?"

"You asked who disappeared. That's your answer. His father disappeared."

"The Visitors?"

There was no humor in Fontana's short laugh. "Doubtful. It's a big universe, _doh'le_, and Kimke was a Spacer, dutied to an explorer ship. The ship vanished. Whole crew gone. Nothing has been heard from them since. Maybe crashed, maybe destroyed, maybe still wandering around out there. No one knows."

"Maybe captured?"

"Maybe."

"Any chance he's still alive?" There was no answer and Julie looked over her shoulder. Fontana was gone, the room was empty. She shivered slightly before stepping out of the building.

------------------------------------------

The morning was actually worse then Julie ever thought it would be, even though Tyler never once raised his voice. Every time someone screwed up, he would just give them a look that somehow said it all. He changed around some pairings, making sure each pair had at least one strong shooter. He simply ignored any argument. Julie refrained from protesting and kept an eye on the new pairings, pleased to see that they worked just as well, if not better, then the old pairings. The morning passed swiftly until, at last, they broke for lunch.

Not even Chris went near Tyler during the lunch break though he did keep a wary eye on his partner. Every now and again, he'd look at Julie and she could see the question in his eyes. What had she said to set Tyler off? She sighed and stood up, ignoring the questioning looks as she walked over to where Tyler sat on a rock, smoking a cigarette. He was watching the woods, looking as if he hoped some wild dogs would come out just so he'd have something to kill.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly.

For a moment, she didn't think he was going to answer. When he finally spoke, it was in a remarkably soft voice.

"So am I."

"How long?"

He didn't bother to ask her what she meant. "A little over thirteen years."

"You knew Fontana would tell me."

A muscle twitched in Tyler's cheek. "I knew he was listening. On the roof." He looked back at the town. From where they were, he could just see the tops of the buildings. She followed his gaze but couldn't see anything of interest.

"So what is Fontana? To you?" She added hastily when a dark gleam of humor flashed in Tyler's dark eyes. "Family?"

The man's lips quirked into a slight smile. "You might say that. Something akin to a brother-in-law."

"Okay ... now you're driving me crazy." She frowned at the amused look he gave her, though she was more relieved then anything else. "You should eat something. How much weight did you lose anyway?"

Tyler dropped the cigarette into the dirt and ground it thoroughly under his heel. "About twenty pounds. I'll gain it back fast enough." He flicked a look at the woods then back at the would-be raiders sprawled on the grass. "I'd prefer you didn't tell anyone else about my father." He said quietly. "Especially Donovan."

"Why not?"

"Because Donovan can be a remarkably self-righteous bastard and I don't need his platitudes." Julie winced at his harsh wording but didn't argue. Donovan could be a little hard to take at times. Tyler stood, still eying the woods with a frown. "Remind your people to watch out for those dogs. I'm pretty sure a couple of them are sick."

Julie looked at the woods nervously. "Rabies?"

"Maybe. Fontana and I'll go out later. See if we can kill them." He saw the protest on her face and said dryly. "They're not man's best friend anymore, Parrish. And we don't want any of the kids trying to make friends with them."

That possibility drove any thought of protest from her. "Just don't let Fontana bring any of the bodies or anything back to the base."

Tyler chuckled softly. "Now you're starting to figure him out." He turned and walked over to where his partner sat on the ground. Chris tossed him a sandwich and he sank down on the ground next to him, crossing his legs as he reached for a bottle of soda. The two men began to talk in low tones, in a language no one else could understand, though Julie did hear the name Kimke. So Chris knew about that.

"What was that about?" Donovan asked as she re-joined him.

"Tyler thinks some of the wild dogs might be sick." She glanced around at the others, all of whom were listening curiously, and raised her voice. "So watch your step, everyone. Don't try to make friends with any dogs and remind the kids not to as well. They could be rabid."

Her words made more then a few people eye the woods uneasily. "How many dogs are there?" Sancho asked nervously.

"At least two packs of them." Tyler said, reaching for another sandwich. "Maybe eight to fifteen dogs a pack. A few loners. Those are the ones that are probably sick. I've crossed their trails a few times." He shook his head. "Some of them just don't smell right."

"When have you been out in the woods?" Natalie asked sharply and Tyler threw her an amused look.

"Every night I can. Nighttime in the woods is the closest I get to home these days."

Chris grunted. "Not enough moons." He pointed out and Tyler glanced up at the sky.

"True. But I can pretend."

"How many moons does your home world have?" Robert asked suddenly from where he was sprawled comfortably on the ground.

"Three." Tyler answered without hesitation. "One big, two smaller. Otherwise it's remarkably like Earth a few thousand years ago. A little larger, roughly equal amounts of land mass to ocean, pretty close to the same gravitation pull. Days are a little longer, years a little longer. Otherwise ..." He shrugged.

"How do you know there's not enough moons, Farber?" Natalie asked suspiciously and the big man grinned.

"Been there. Once." He said cheerfully. "Years ago."

"It occurs to me," Donovan said suddenly. "That Ham Tyler wouldn't be your real name."

"Took you this long to figure that out, did it?" Tyler smiled slightly at the sour look on Donovan's face, absently using a claw to cut open a small package of cookies and offering a chuckling Chris half of the contents. "It is on Earth."

"And off of Earth?" Donovan persisted and Tyler gave him a long thoughtful look.

"_Komees Ihn'e s'tolqui o'Myraihhe d'Nivana_." He said distinctly then added. "Stick to Tyler."

"Long name." Donovan said and Tyler shrugged. Robert looked like he wanted to say something but didn't. Instead he lay back, studying the sky thoughtfully and mentally filing away questions for the evening.

"_Nivana_." Caleb said suddenly. "You said that was the name of your home world."

Chris laughed and Tyler surprised everyone when he gave Caleb a real smile. "Good catch. Yeah, that last bit after the _d_ signifies home world." He drank the last of the soda and tossed the bottle into one of the boxes then rose, brushing off his jeans. "All right, back to work, everyone. Come on, Maxwell. Stop trying to figure out my name."

"I think I already got it figured." Robert said contently.

"Oh?" Donovan asked. "How do you figure it?"

Robert flicked a look at Tyler, who only raised an eyebrow. "Okay." Absently, Robert gestured with his hands. "The last part indicates home world. The first part, I bet, is what we'd called a first name. The middle part should be some kind of family indication. I'm thinking it's mother's name." He glanced inquiringly at Tyler, who smiled slightly.

"Mother's name?" Maggie asked.

"_Myraihhe_. Sounds like Myra. That is what Fontana said your mother's name was. So the first part, _Komees Ihn'e_ would be your first name."

"We call it common name." Tyler cut in.

"Common name then. _O'Myraihhe_ would be ... I'm guessing ... of _Myraihhe_ so _s'tolqui_ would probably mean ... child?" He glanced at Tyler. He wasn't certain but he thought the man looked impressed.

"_Tolqui_ means child. _S'tolqui_ means male child ... son."

Robert grinned. "So essentially it's ... _Komees Ihn'e_ son of _Myraihhe_, home world _Nivana_."

"Essentially." Tyler offered Robert his hand and he took it, letting the other man pull him to his feet.

"So your people are a matriarchy."

"Always have been." Tyler grunted.

"So what you said when you found out Pamela was Supreme Commander of the Visitor fleet - what was that?" Donovan asked, referring to Tyler's unflattering remarks when Martin had told them the fleet's commander was female.

"That, Gooder, was what you expected me to say. You expected me to be a racist, sexist bastard, so I was." He smiled his familiar teeth-baring smile as Donovan flushed. "Didn't want to disappoint you. Let's get back to work before the rain starts." He turned and walked toward where they had a series of targets set up, leaving several of the others eying the skies nervously.

"I vote we stop expecting him to be a racist, sexist bastard." Caleb said quietly. "I like him a hell of a lot better when he's not living down to our expectations."

There was a murmur of agreement around him and Chris laughed, shaking his head as he followed his friend. The storm inside that had driven Tyler earlier seemed to have broken, leaving only a calmness that was startling to the others. He could still make someone who dropped her weapon feel two inches tall and he still projected an air of mild contempt and arrogance but he unwound enough to show them a few tricks to shooting their rifles faster and more accurately and how to more easily accommodate the silencers on the handguns. When he noticed Sancho's skill with knife throwing, he showed him some additional tricks while Chris worked with Maggie on using the crossbow.

There was some protest when the rains started but Tyler simply asked them if they planned to cancel the raid if it was raining that night and drove them to continue. Though she had some misgivings, Julie backed him up. He didn't keep them out there long, though, and they were soon making their way back to base before the gentle springtime rain could turn into the threatened deluge. Caleb dropped back to walk next to Chris, who was taking rear guard.

"What's with Tyler and rain?" He muttered the question and Chris threw him an amused look.

"Noticed that, uh?" It hadn't be easy to spot but Caleb had noticed that every now and then Tyler would pause abruptly and search the ground, his face stony and eyes wary. "It's not the rain. It's the things that can come out of it. Long story. I'll try to tell it to you sometime." He paused. "The good thing is the rain'll keep Fontana inside. He dislikes it lots more then Ham does." Then Chris was moving away, toward the mock stable, leaving Caleb looking after him, shaking his head. The skies really opened up then and everyone scattered, heading for their respective quarters.

"Don't use up all the hot water!" Chris barked as he entered the RV. He heard Ham laugh and grinned himself. "I owe Caleb a story."

"Which one?"

"Why you don't like the rain. You mind?"

There was silence for a moment. "No. Guess not. Just don't let Fontana hear it."

Chris grimaced as he stripped off his jacket, hanging it up to dry. From what he heard, Ham had almost lost both his legs that day and did get that scar on his face but Fontana _had_ lost a leg and more as well. Granted, it was years ago but the rain still made Ham uneasy. Which had been hell for him in 'Nam. And South America. And pretty much everywhere they'd traveled.

"We got leftover stew, if Fontana hasn't eaten it. Where is he anyway?"

"Up in the loft. I doubt he'll come down. I'll go up for awhile. When's Maxwell coming over?"

"Probably after supper time. Or maybe I'll head over after we eat and send him over."

"Sounds good." Ham stepped from the small bathroom, dressed only in a pair of cutoffs. Chris glanced at him.

"You planning on shaving?"

Ham rubbed his hands over stubble. "No. No, I don't think so. I'm tired of the old me. It's time for a whole new me."

"Now that's scary." Chris muttered and Ham laughed.

"Only for some, I think. Only for some." He sobered, shaking his head. "Seriously. A change in appearance, even just a beard, may help. I'll still have to be a class 'A' bastard at times but maybe they'll stop expecting me to be that way all the time."

"If it'll ..." Chris paused then seeing Ham's questioning look, continued bluntly. "If it'll help you settled into yourself, I'm all for it. You're whipsawing back and forth and it's confusing people."

"Not half as much as it's confusing me." Ham reached for a shirt and pulled it on. "It's been twelve years since I've been home and seven years since I've been with any of my people for any length of time. Having Fontana here helps but it's still hard to let go. Harder still since I can't let completely go. I have to find a balance between what I am and what the majority of humans will find acceptable." He glanced at Chris somberly. "Even you have a hard time accepting everything."

Chris shifted uncomfortably. "It might help if you talk to Parrish. Tell her ..."

"No." Ham said firmly. "After the raid. If she survives it. If I survive it. Then I'll talk to her."

"And if you don't survive?"

"Then you can talk to her. If neither of us survives then it's a moot point."

------------------------------------------

"So it sounds like Tyler's been reading what people's opinions of him are and reacting in the way they expect him to react." Robert said, shooting a glance at Donovan, who glowered back at him. About a dozen others were scattered about the lounge of the mock whorehouse, one of the most comfortable rooms in the entire town, which made it the informal living room of the camp.

Donovan would have liked to argue about Robert's observation but he couldn't find a basis for disagreement. He had formed his opinion of Tyler within minutes of their first meeting and that had blinded him to other things. Now he saw them in a new light, realizing that Tyler had treated everyone in his group, then and now, the same, no matter their sex or color. Females weren't coddled; he pushed them just as hard as the males, though sometimes in different ways.

"He's still doing it." Donovan said and Robert shrugged.

"Protective coloring. He's been doing it for so long, he probably finds it hard to stop."

"He calls Sancho 'Slick'." Hansen pointed out.

"Yeah but I don't think he means it as an insult. At least, not any more. Again, he came into the group acting the way people thought he would act. Should act. Now, I think, it's just a word. A nickname, maybe. If Sancho asked him to stop calling him that, he probably would. Now."

Sancho shrugged it off. He'd long since realized that Tyler's formerly biting use of the word had faded, that it was no more then a nickname. He'd been called worse and by people who really meant it.

"So where he comes from, women rule?" Maggie asked.

"Not necessarily. Essentially, it means the bloodline goes down through the mother."

"Maybe his old man just didn't hang around." Hansen suggested maliciously.

"Since I doubt anyone really wants to be cleaning blood off the chandeliers, I seriously suggest you do not ever say anything like that anywhere near Ham's hearing." Chris said from the doorway. "The_Barbarosian_ figure family through the mother." He glanced at Robert as he walked over to grab a soda from a cooler set on the bar. "And if you ask Ham to explain the _Barbarosian_ family structure, I suggest you provide lots of chalk and a really big wall. Maybe two walls. And lots of time. They give extended family a whole new meaning. Last count, they had forty-three different words just to indicate kinds of cousin. Not to mention the different ways of indicating siblings, depending on whether they are related via mother and/or father and/or other. And then there are the differences between various kinds of kin. It can get really, complicated. Same with government structure, now that I think of it." He sank into a chair near the merrily-burning fire.

"How about religion?" Father Andrew asked.

"I've never asked." Chris hesitated then shrugged. "When he gets pissed, he tends to swear by the Trinity, which isn't exactly a part of their religion. Now that it's out in the open, he'll probably start swearing by his Deities. Whether or not he'll talk about them, I don't know. Those questions, I think, should wait until after the raid."

"Speaking of which ..." Robert started to stand.

"Hang on a minute, Maxwell." Chris waved him back down.

"Another change of plans?" Hansen said.

Chris stiffened then apparently decided ignoring Hansen was the best way to go. "I promised Caleb a story and I thought you might like to hear it as well."

"Story?" Donovan asked.

"Why Ham doesn't like the rain."

"The rain?" Hansen laughed. "He's afraid of the rain?"

"'It's not the rain.'" Caleb quoted. "'It's the things that can come out of it.'"

"Hansen, shut up or I'll find a flight of stairs to toss you down!" Robert snarled at the same time. This brought a moment of surprised silence.

"And I'll help him." Sancho finally said. Others murmured agreement.

Hansen flushed with anger but fell silent, for which Chris was grateful. He rolled the bottle between the palms of his hands, trying to work out where to begin. He was also a little leery of telling the story with Robin present but, he reflected, she wasn't exactly a child any longer. At her age ... Well, when Ham was her age, he was living this story.

"When Ham was in what we'd consider his late teens, he was a cadet at one of the Confederation's military academies. Not unusual, most Confederates attend one or the other of them sometime in their lives. Part of the curriculum is to spend time on one of the training planets. Planets that, for some reason or another, weren't inhabited and wouldn't be. Usually because there was some feature or another that made it not very habitable. One training planet had a particularly vicious breed of fish on it that made it off-limits to colonists."

Half a dozen eyes glared Hansen into silence even as he opened his mouth. Chris noticed and smiled slightly.

"Translated into English, these fish would be called slaughterfish. They can get up to two, maybe three feet long. Carnivorous with teeth like a piranha. Bad enough in water but these monsters could leave the water and travel on land for as long as fifteen minutes before they start to dry out. Not much to worry about usually, the camps was normally set up a good distance away but once a year there's a real heavy rainy season. Heavy enough to soak the ground to the point that slaughterfish can travel for miles. And they do. Normally the cadets are removed from the planet long before the rainy season starts. Unfortunately, when Ham's group was there, the rainy season came early. Real early. And the retrieval ship didn't arrive for four days."

He paused, trying to figure out how to convey what had happened. Ham had told him the story in 'Nam, to explain why he couldn't sleep on rainy nights.

_"__My nose is blind__."__Pular Singe__ complained, shaking her head in an attempt to rid her fur of water__ but the driving rain made it impossible._

_Komees Ihn'e__ glanced at the sodden ratgirl. "__So's mine. So use your eyes__"_

_Pular Singe__ snorted. Not only was it night but the rain was coming down in a solid wall, making it impossible to see two feet in front of themselves. Bows and crossbows were useless in this weather, everyone had the melee weapons they were most familiar with. He had his double-bladed long sword slung across his back but was using a spear as his main weapon. __Pular Singe __had her long knives. The three __Taz__ had their rifles but you couldn't shoot what you couldn't see._

_He knew the camp was behind him, even if he couldn't see the tents. Those not on sentry duty were doing their best to sleep. He wondered how many were actually succeeding. _

_A Cadet Master appeared suddenly next to them. The two cadets ignored her as they continued to scan the darkness, concentrating on the ground. There was so much mud now that they literally stood ankle-deep in it. It caked their legs and obscured their cadet colors. Not that it mattered._

_"__Either of you need a break__" The Cadet Master, a __Timnor__, asked in her snarling voice. Her fur was caked even worse then __Pular __Singe__'s__ since, unlike the ratgirl, she wore only a loincloth and Cadet Master tunic. They both indicated 'no' and the Cadet Master grunted, thrusting containers of hot broth into their hands before moving on._

_Pular__ Singe__ popped her container open immediately and drained it in just a couple gulps. __Komees Ihn'e__ grinned, tucking his container into his tunic for later. She saw his amusement and bared her fangs at him. Her ability to eat anything that crossed her path was notorious. The duo returned their attention to the darkness._

_The night eased into dawn, not that it made much difference to the amount of light. __Komees Ihn'e__ looked up to the sky, trying to gauge if there was going to be any daylight but the rain was too heavy. A sudden squeal jerked his attention downward again and he flipped his spear, driving the blade through the slaughterfish that had appeared directly in front of him. He froze briefly, staring down at the churning mud, suddenly realizing that it was no longer mud but a living carpet of slaughterfish. Throwing back his head, he let out the undulating cry of warning that brought the rest of the camp from their tents and jerked his spear free, stepping back to stand shoulder to shoulder (well, shoulder to hip, actually, to the being to his left) with the other cadets. __Pular Singe__ had darted behind the line and now reappeared, squeezed between him and the cadet to his right. Her teeth were bared and she was snarling, a long knife in each hand._

_What followed was a mind-numbing slaughter but it was slaughter with no end. Killing one slaughterfish only brought two more into it's place, more to feast on the dead then to attack the cadets. The cadets took advantage of this, killing slaughterfish and tossing the bodies as far away as possible, hoping the living would go for them. Perched on the few rocks scattered around the camp, the __Taz__ fired into the mass, aiming only enough to miss cadets since there was no way for them to miss the slaughterfish._

_Komees Ihn'e__ felt his arms tire. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to continue until his spear broke. He dropped what was left of it and drew his own long knives. __Pular Singe__ had vanished from his side and he could only hope she still lived but he had no time to check. The slaughterfish were still coming ..._

_He felt razor-sharp teeth sink through his leather greaves and into his leg. Thrusting downward, he buried a knife into the slaughterfish biting his leg but another one was already there, biting hard enough to sever muscle. __Komees Ihn'e__ fell hard, landing on his back in the mud. Panicked, knowing to remain on the ground would be certain death, he tried to get back onto his feet but sharp teeth were now in both of his legs and he screamed in pain, slashing with both blades and claws in an attempt to drive his attackers away. Sharp teeth suddenly filled his sight and he jerked to one side as pain seared along the left side of his face. An axe thumped down, cutting the slaughterfish in two. Hands and tentacles grabbed him and dragged him back, out of the range of the attacking slaughterfish._

_Komees Ihn'e__ could hear __Pular Singe__'s shrill chatter and felt r__elief that she was still alive. Ignoring his pain, he heaved himself up to look at the defending line of cadets but what he saw first was his own legs. Or rather what was left of them._

_At which point he passed out._

"Ham knows intimately what it means to be eaten alive." Chris said bluntly. He flicked a look around his listeners, all of whom seemed to be suitably subdued, even Hansen. "Both of his legs were torn up bad, one foot gone totally, and his face and shoulder slashed open. Fontana lost the major part of a leg and most of an arm and a notable chunk out of his side. Took two years for Ham's foot to grow back and Fontana's injuries took a good four, five years. Seven cadets and two Cadet Masters were killed. And most of the survivors still have a hard time sleeping when it rains." He glanced over at Robert. "Ham's up in the loft with Fontana. You'll probably have to yell for him."

"Yeah, sure." Robert muttered, trying to shake the images Chris had conjured for them. "Think I'll take some beers along."

No one protested when he scooped up a six pack and headed out into the rain.

------------------------------------------

The next day was a repeat of the first. A threatened rebellion by some of the resistance members was quelled by Julie, who bluntly told them to either buckle down or leave their guns and vests and send someone out to replace them. Tyler had looked at her in some surprise after her cool words and then with an odd thoughtfulness.

The day after was considered a day of rest, since Julie and Donovan were leaving to check out the water plant. When they returned, hours later, it was to find the majority of the camp standing around the corral behind the mock stable, all in various stages of hysteria. Even the cats clinging to the fence looked like they were ready to laugh themselves right off the rails. Curious, the couple walked over to see Tyler sprawled on his back in the center of the enclosure, Harmony next to him. She was laughing, he had his eyes closed and looked disgruntled.

"What happened?" Julie asked Caleb.

"Ham was giving Harmony a hard time about her, ah, well, her pacifism. He challenged her to break a supposedly unbreakable hold." He started to laugh again.

"And?"

"She went for his _cojones_." Sancho gasped from where he was sprawled on the ground.

"And she almost got them, too." Tyler added, opening his eyes. Releasing Harmony's hand, he shoulder-rolled to his feet. Reaching down, he pulled Harmony to her feet. "Not bad."

"Hey, just because I don't fight doesn't mean I can't defend myself."

Tyler looked at her then nodded. "Point taken. Now that we've managed to amuse the hell out of the cats and the camp ..." He looked over at the newly arrived couple. "What happened to you two?"

Julie felt herself color. "We took the long way around; to make sure we weren't followed."

"Oh?" Tyler's nostrils flared then his eyes narrowed, eying her coolly. Her color deepened when she realized that the man could smell exactly what they had been up to for the last couple hours. "You're sunburned." He pointed out. "I don't think the lizards' body suits sunburn."

Julie glared at him. "We'll get changed and then we can report." She started to turn.

"You might wanna stick around." Chris murmured to her. She threw him a puzzled look and he nodded back to the corral. She looked back just in time to see a flash of metal and an odd-looking staff was suddenly buried itself in the dirt in front of Tyler. He looked down at it then up at the loft. The doors were open and Fontana stood there, a staff in hand. No, not just a staff. At each end was an axe head. A really sharp axe head.

Without a word, Tyler stripped off his shirt, tossing it to one side and reached down to pull the staff from the ground. It had a sword blade at each end, double-edged and sharp. He stepped back, idly rotating the double-bladed sword.

Fontana leapt from the loft, landing in front of Tyler. Without a word, he attacked; swinging at Tyler's legs but Tyler was already leaping into the air. What followed was a heart-stopping display of fighting that had more then a few of the watchers gaping in astonishment. Both men were obviously experts with their chosen weapons, parrying and slashing with equal skill. Both were grinning with obvious pleasure as they dodged, ducked, and leapt clear of the other's attacks.

"My God." Julie breathed. "How dangerous is this?" She asked Chris and he looked at her as if he was wondering at her intelligence level.

"They're playing with really sharp weapons." He pointed out.

"Should they be? If Tyler's hurt ..." Her voice broke off as Tyler's weapon came apart in his hands. At first she thought it had broken but then she realized that Tyler had taken the double-bladed sword apart, giving him two long swords. With a flick of his wrist, Fontana's weapon also came apart, leaving him with an axe in each hand.

"They're playing to disarm, not to draw blood." Chris explained.

"But they could do injury. Which we can't afford right now." Julie said curtly. Stepping up to the fence encircling the corral, she whistled shrilly. To her surprise, the two men stepped back from each other and looked at her inquiringly. "We can't afford you being hurt, Tyler. Not now. So how about putting the sharp objects away."

The two men looked at her then at each other. Donovan started forward, ready to back her up but Chris grabbed his arm, glaring him into silence. "She can't lead if you keep fighting her battles for her." He hissed.

"She's right." Tyler said to Fontana, stopping Donovan from snapping back at Chris. Startled, he looked back at the two men but Tyler was speaking to Fontana. "And your offense still sucks."

"Hey!"

"You still drop your left shoulder every time you're going to attack with the axe in your right hand. You should go back for a refresher."

Fontana scowled at him then shrugged guiltily. "Planning on it. Chim is insisting."

"Good for him. Come on, let's get something to eat. You might wanna get some lotion on that sunburn, Parrish. We'll meet in the saloon in an hour. Just us three for now." He added as he re-attached the long swords back into one. Tossing it over the fence for Chris to catch, he snatched up his shirt and vaulted over the fence. Slinging the shirt over his shoulder, he retrieved his weapon and headed into the mock stable. Fontana took a moment to return his weapons back to their original double-bladed form and then followed Tyler over the fence and into the building.

"He's right, Julie." Harmony said. "You really are burnt. Want me to get you something from the infirmary?"

"I'll get something. Thanks anyway. Here, get this film to Alice, will you?" She headed for the dorms, intending to grab some clothes and heading over to the showers. Donovan fell in next to her. "You realize that Tyler knows exactly what we were doing, don't you?"

"He may suspect ..." Donovan started. Julie looked at him and wrinkled her nose. Donovan flushed as he realized what she meant. "Damn! I hadn't thought of that." He muttered.

"It'll make life interesting, that's for sure."

An hour later, the couple entered the saloon. It was empty except for Tyler, who looked up from the photos he had spread out on the bar. "Know anyone in the group that can rappel?" He asked curtly.

"Rappel?" Donovan blinked. "I can, a little. I think Robert can. Why?"

"Just an idea about the raid. Might be the best way to get our people from one level to another quickly." He waved a hand at the photos. "Alice and Chris are developing more pictures from the video. What else do you have?"

Julie set her sketch book on the bar. The sketch the book was opened to showed the geographical layout of the area around the plant. "A backup escape route. Looks like an old bridle path."

Tyler looked it over and grunted. "Good." He glanced at the photos then looked at Donovan. "Your scaly buddy sent a message for you to meet him tomorrow. Usual place, usual time. He has something for you." He said curtly, dark eyes expressionless.

Julie felt Donovan stiffen next to her and she dug an elbow into his ribs in warning. "Did he say what?"

"No." He set the photos he held down and looked out the window. "We can go over these tomorrow, after you meet with your friend. He might have something worthwhile." His tone suggested otherwise then, before Donovan could retort angrily, he changed the subject. "Did either of you see Fontana on your way over?"

"No. Why? What's wrong?" Julia asked when she saw Tyler's frown.

"Nothing's wrong. Fontana's just not used to Earth and humans. He doesn't usually work this sector. At least, not alone."

"Why is he still hanging around anyway?" Donovan asked.

"I asked him to." Tyler said curtly. "Besides, Johnny's still re-stocking his ship." He caught the look on Donovan's face and gave him a bared-tooth grin. "You don't think Fontana's hauling stuff to Earth solely out of the goodness of his heart, do you? The stuff he brought in costs, Gooder. Fontana will take back a haul and sell it then maybe make another run here." His grin broadened. "You won't believe what the major part of his cargo out is."

"Probably not." Julie said. "What?"

Humor glinted in Tyler's dark eyes. "Pickle juice."

"Excuse me?" Julie's voice hit a high note and Tyler laughed at her expression.

"Pickle juice. The _Shikito_ adore pickle juice. They drink it like you'd drink soda. If you can get the real stuff out to their planet, you can make a fortune. That and cheesecake, as odd as that may sound. But the pickle juice alone will pay for his hauling stuff here."

"What other kinds of things does the Confederation like from Earth?" Donovan asked thoughtfully.

"Well, actually, the _Shikito_ aren't part of the Confederation. Yet. But the most in demand items include ..." Tyler paused then shrugged. "Books, comic books, horses, cats, some kinds of dogs, silk and other kinds of cloth, some types of gems and minerals - turquoise, opal, and jade for example. Artwork, music. Tea, various spices. Chocolate. A variety of things. The Smugglers Guild has been operating off of Earth for centuries. In fact, the Guild Master's been living on Earth on and off for the past eight hundred years."

"Oh?" was all Julie could manage.

"Yep." Tyler headed for the door. "William. In Switzerland." He paused at the door, looking back over his shoulder and smiling faintly. "Who also happens to be my mother's father." Then he was out the door and gone.

"Y'know, it occurs to me." Julie said after a long quiet moment. "That we haven't once considered how old Tyler might really be."

"I don't think I want to know."

"Want to know what?" Robert asked as he entered, his arms full of notebooks and Robin trailing behind him.

"How old Tyler really is. He just said something about his grandfather traveling back and forth from Earth for the past eight hundred years." Donovan explained and Robert grinned.

"William in Switzerland. He told me about that." He dropped his armload on the table, the gleam in his eye suggesting Tyler had told him a lot more. "By his people's standards, Ham's young. By our standards ..." He shrugged. "Ham's roughly one hundred and thirty-seven years old." His grin widened at the couples' surprise. "Apparently his people can live for a very long time. Remember Wolf in Rome? She's close to five _thousand_ years but then she's also a member of the Four Quarters and apparently they are an exception."

Julie's mind raced, connecting a number of dots. "So the birth rate would be slower? A female would only be fertile every few years?"

"Roughly every three to five years."

"So the menstrual period would be every three to five years? I'm envious."

"I was too." Robin looked up from the notebooks she was sorting. "Until I found out that pregnancy lasts almost two years." She looked down at her swollen belly and made a face.

Julie threw up her hands. "Okay. No longer envious."

"Plus they seem to be prone to multiples." Robert said. "Twins are very common. Ham has a twin brother."

"Not on Earth, I hope?" Donovan asked. "One of him is almost more then I can handle."

"No. Apparently his brother takes after their father. He's what they call a High Warrior - their version of a chief security officer - on a spaceship. And before you ask anything about that, we haven't gotten into spaceships or space travel as yet."

"You think he's telling you the truth? About everything?" Donovan asked, a disbelieving note in his voice.

Robert looked thoughtful. "Yeah. Yeah, I think he is. He's answered just about every question I've asked. I don't think he's making anything up. I think he's telling the truth. If he doesn't like a question, he simply doesn't answer it. And then sometimes, if I ask it again, he will answer."

"Had many of those?"

"Only a couple. Of course I'm sticking mainly to family structure and home life type questions. With a little biology thrown in. So far, we've only discussed his people. But he says there's another ninety-three sentient species in the Confederation alone." He grinned. "Wanna hear something really interesting? The _Barbarosians_ have eight different races. They have - and keep in mind I'm using the English words for them ..." He started to tick them off on his fingers. "Two different aquatics, or water-dwelling, peoples. An avian - or flying - people. A dwarf race and a race of giants along with what we might call an elfin race. And then they have a race that has fur and a tail. And then there are Ham's people. And apparently there are variances within the races as well. Three different kinds of dwarfs and two different kinds of giants as well as something called a low giant and something called a tall dwarf."

"That's not possible." Donovan started.

"Why not?" Julie interrupted him. "We're not talking about Earth. And even on Earth, it could have been possible. Maybe not a flying race but the others could have happened. In fact, there are legends of some of those races on Earth so who's to say they didn't exist here once."

"That's kinda what Ham said. Apparently they've always wondered at the – sameness - of Earth humans. He said that first night that his people could never understand why humans have such a hard time recognizing that they are all the same species when the majority of our races all look so much alike and they, who have such wide variances among their races, rarely have had that problem."

"Can they inter-breed?" Julie asked.

"Yeah but they usually don't. For various reasons. When they do, the child always takes after the mother. Aquatic mother, aquatic baby. Giant mother, giant baby. Etc, etc. And they are _not_ genetically compatible to Earth humans. Ahhh ..." Robert glanced quickly at Robin, who noticed the silence and looked up to blink at him.

"Come on, dad. I'm transcribing your notes. I've already read all that. And lots of other interesting things too." She had two notebooks open in front of her, copying from one into the other neatly. "Your handwriting's getting worse. What's this word?"

Robert looked over her shoulder. "Aquatic." He turned back to the couple. "They are, for the most part, _sexually_ compatible but not _genetically_. Not even with help." He added with something akin to relief.

Julie was nodding slowly. "For one thing, the gestation periods would be way too different."

Robert nodded, settling into the chair across from Robin and reaching for a notebook. "Another interesting tidbit. Their ancestry is feline/lupine based, not primate. That would be where the claws come from. As Ham put it," Robert grinned, sudden laughter dancing in his eyes. "_'Our ancestors ran on all fours and bayed at the moon._' Then Fontana added, '_Every now and then, we still do._' At which point, Ham chased him up into the loft and threw him out the loft doors."

"I wondered what that was for." Julia mussed. Well, Fontana _had_ landed on his feet and it had been obvious that Ham hadn't _really_ meant to hurt him. After seeing their version of play, God help them all if they ever actually did try to hurt each other.

"They're awfully casual about hurting each other, aren't they?" Donovan remarked.

"Not really. Sure, they fight a lot but you'll notice neither of them actually get hurt and with those claws, they could do a lot of damage."

"They don't use their claws. Haven't you noticed?" Robin said. "Even when they were fighting with those weapons in the corral and kicking at each other, they never unsheathed their claws."

"That's true." Robert sounded surprised. "Ham said that when they fight, they fight until one of them squawks then it's considered good manners to break off and check each other for wounds. Apparently fighting's okay but actually hurting each other isn't."

"Has he mentioned why he's here, on Earth?" Donovan asked. Julie had moved from his side and was reading over Robin's shoulder.

Robert shrugged. "When I asked him outright, he said 'Family obligation', which I misunderstood and got us into the whole sexual/genetic compatibility discussion. Originally I thought he meant there were half-_Barbarosian_ offspring on Earth. After he explained why that wasn't possible, he told me that his family had been Outriders on Earth for generations. Most of the Outriders here are related to him. Let's see," He ticked them off on his fingers. "Already mentioned that William is his mother's father. Well, Allan in Africa is his father's father. Tom, Johnny, and Gator are all his cousins. Nefti is his younger sister and Rik is her partner ... husband if you prefer. Even Wolf is apparently related to him in some way."

"And Fontana? I'd guess he's not a blood relation if they're ... errr ..." Mike glanced at Robin and flushed. The girl made a face at him.

Robert grinned. "They're not lovers, despite what everyone thinks. Not yet anyway. Fontana is Ham's _brother's_ lover ... or rather, partner. Not his."

"Oh." Donovan said weakly.

"So that's what he meant when he said Fontana was sort of his brother-in-law." Julie said.

"Apparently. He did try to explain a common _Barbarosian_ family unit but I honestly got totally lost. I'm pretty sure there's nothing like it on Earth. Well, there can't be, since there is only one native sentient species known on Earth. But he does consider Fontana his brother-in-law. Or rather their version of brother-in-law."

"But they sleep together." Donovan started.

"Yeah. They 'sleep' together." Robert stressed the word 'sleep'. "If there were more _Barbarosians_ here, they would all be sleeping together. They are a remarkably social people. They like to be near each other. It's ... soothing. Remember when Ham was in that healing sleep? How Chris stayed near him as much as possible? Same principal. Has a lot to do with scent."

"Can I read these? When you're done making them readable, that is." Julie asked. Robin giggled and Robert glowered at them both.

"We're making a couple extra copies so folks can read them. Should have them ready by tomorrow. Of course, I'll keep adding things to the master copy. Ham said he'll help with writing up the _Barbarosian_ family unit later. That should take an entire notebook. Maybe two. Is that the supper bell?"

"Sounds like it, yep. Coming?"

"No, I'll be joining Ham and Chris. They tend to cook their own meals."

"Robin?" Julie looked at the girl.

"Well, I was kinda thinking maybe I could go with you, dad. Maybe take notes."

"Not a good idea." Donovan said firmly. "Tyler wouldn't like it."

"Oh, I don't know." Robert said thoughtfully. "I don't think he'll mind and it would make it easier. We'll take a chance."

Donovan looked like he was ready to protest and Julie grabbed his arm. "Come on. Let's go get something to eat." Julie said firmly. "See you two later." She tugged Donovan after her and out the door before speaking again. "Leave it, Mike. Robert knows what he's doing."

"He's going to be disappointed. Tyler is not going to like having Robin along."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Y'know, Mike, I don't think you know Tyler nearly as well as you think you do."

"I know him better then anyone else here."

"Sure about that, Mike?"

Donovan frowned and didn't answer.

------------------------------------------

"I don't know." Robin said, gesturing at the pad with her pencil. "It just kinda made sense. If these two are affiliated with air, then the opposite should be water and ... hey! Wait a minute! You mean I'm right?"

Robert grinned at his daughter's surprise. He really hadn't been too sure how Ham would react to Robin coming along but he hadn't even looked surprised. He'd just waved her to the battered easy chair that had previously been in the infirmary. She had settled in comfortably with a pad and pencils, idly sketching between taking notes. Shortly after that, Polly and Katie had wandered shyly in and were soon settled at one of the long tables with their own pads and some markers. At some point, Robin had began sketching out something Ham had been explaining and he had noticed.

"Pretty close. Polly," He looked past Robin to where her younger sister was sitting. "Hand me four different color markers. Any colors. Doesn't matter. Here." Taking the markers, he used them to sketch quickly on the pad. "You have this part right. Air, with Phoenix and Dragon. Now you go opposite ..."

"And you have water."

"Right. With ..." He paused thoughtfully. "Chris, what did you say the closest thing to a _rhi'sar_ on Earth is?"

"Sable." The big man said, not looking up from the book he was reading.

"Okay, so that's Sable and _Kirien_ ... he doesn't translate easily into English. Maybe dragon-horse ... no, we'll stick with _Kirien_. Go here and you have earth with Wolf and Coyote. Opposite them is fire with Ounce and _Dakeera_ ..." Ham frowned then shrugged. "Saber-tooth would be the closest thing. And that," He tapped the pad lightly before tossing the markers back onto Polly's table. "Is the basis for the current version of the Four Quarters. These four," He gestured at the pad. "Are what you might call the Shamans. The remaining four are the Warriors."

"And they're what?" Robin asked. "Gods?"

Ham shook his head. "No. Closest thing on Earth would be ... demigods, I guess. The roster of the Four Quarters changes every now and again, sometimes without warning ..."

"And sometimes in ways that make no sense at all." Fontana said from where he was sprawled on top of the RV. "We've been trying to figure out that whole Horse/Hawk/Dragon/Phoenix situation for centuries. You really have to ask William about that, Kom."

"I've tried. He wouldn't explain it. Wolf is even worse. She just laughs hysterically and wanders off muttering something about flying pigs."

"Your family can be so much fun."

Apparently Ham couldn't find a basis to argue with that so he went back to studying the chess board, leaving Robin to ponder her sketch. Polly leaned over the back of Robin's chair to stare at it as well.

"Willie said Xon was a member of the Four Quarters." Polly said suddenly and Robert looked up in a mixture of surprise and trepidation, hoping his daughter's question didn't put the man off. Ham moved a chess piece and then leaned back to point at something on the pad. "Dragon? So he's Dragon?"

"Was Dragon." Ham corrected. "The current Dragon is a female_Sslisslik_, which is a reptilian species not the least bit like the Visitors. And between the two, Phoenix served as the ... well, it's not technically correct but for convenience's sake let's say air's Warrior for a time."

Robin looked at her pad, confused. "I thought Phoenix was a Shaman."

"He is. Normally. But, for some reason, after the previous Dragon was killed, he shifted from air's Shaman to air's Warrior. The then Horse shifted to become Hawk, air's Shaman, and _Kirien_ took his place as water's Warrior. When the new Dragon appeared as air's Warrior, Hawk stepped down, and Phoenix returned to being air's Shaman. This is the current layout. It's been that way for about 800 years. Give or take a few decades." He grinned at Robin's expression. "Confusing, ain't it?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, it works. For us. They're not exactly a Deity, they're not exactly mortal. They ... represent the Deities, might be the best way to put it."

"So they have a direct line to your Deity? Or is it Deities?" Robert asked.

"Deities. And pretty much. They're the ones we deal with the most." He looked up. "Fontana, how about going to see if those pizzas are ready yet." Fontana rolled off the RV, landing deftly on bare feet than vanished into the vehicle. "How did we get on the Four Quarters anyway?"

"You were explaining your people's version of chess. Which, quite frankly, was giving me a headache." Robert moved a chess piece.

"Oh, good. I'm not the only one." Chris muttered.

"Yeah, it's complicated. If we survive this war, I'll just send you a copy of the rule book. Books. If you don't wanna bother reading them, they make for excellent doorstops. Oh, good. Food."

Fontana grinned, offering the pizza to the girls before letting Ham drag off two pieces. Robert grabbed a couple pieces as well then Fontana went over to settle near Chris with the remainder. Ham stooped and dug into a cooler set next to him, finally bringing out a soda. He offered one to Robert before nudging the cooler toward the girls with his foot. "Help yourself, kittens."

The duo returned to their game, not talking much now as they played. At nine Fontana, carrying an already sleeping Katie, accompanied the girls to their trailer, since the curfew for everyone under eighteen was nine o'clock. Once they were gone, Ham dug out a pack of cigarettes, offering one to Robert before lighting up one for himself.

"For some reason, I'm surprised you'd smoke."

Ham shrugged, absently rubbing a hand over his chin. He was finding that a beard was going to take a little getting use to. "Nasty habit. If I tried it back home, mother would slap me off a summit."

"Again." Chris cut in.

Robert looked over his shoulder at Chris then back at Tyler. "Okay, why did she slap you off a summit? Or do I want to know?"

Ham laughed. "I was trying to get my sister to climb up there. She hates heights. So she's clinging to a ledge about thirty feet below me, claiming she's admiring the view and I'm teasing her to climb higher because the view was better from there. At which point, our mother comes up behind me and smacks me. Hard. Not off the summit but pretty close."

"Woman has a hell of a arm." Chris added.

"How would you know? She never hit you."

"She sure sent you flying."

Ham shrugged. "Caught me off guard. Took us a couple hours to get Nefti down from that ledge."

"What us? If I remember correctly, you were up on the summit, yelling down gratuitous advice. And avoiding your mother. Well, at least until she got your other sisters together and they ganged up to toss you in the pond."

"Hey, I would have gotten away if Oded hadn't tripped me up with his tail. And someone really should have mentioned Lady was down there. Suddenly finding oneself in a not so very big pond with a thirty-seven foot long alligator is not the least bit amusing." Ham ground the cigarette out in a nearby dirt-filled coffee can and glanced at his watch then around the room. "Curfew in fifteen minutes. I better find Fontana. Wanna just leave the game set up for tomorrow night?"

"Sure." Robert reflected that he was getting use to the off-hand remarks Ham occasionally made. He had little doubt that everything the other man was saying was true but he couldn't help but wonder if he sometimes said them just to see other peoples' reactions. He watched Ham leave the building and then looked back at Chris. "Oded would be a _Treean_?" He asked, referring to the _Barbarosian_'s tailed and furred race. Chris nodded. "And Lady ...?"

"Is a thirty-seven foot long alligator someone took to _Nivana_ from Earth years ago. Don't ask me why. Or from exactly where. They tend to adopt the oddest creatures." He shut the book and slipped into his jacket pocket. "And that thirty-seven foot ... does not include her tail. She is one big mother. 'Course, you should see Monster. She's an anaconda. A seventy-seven foot long anaconda."

"Okay._Nivana_ just made the top ten list of places I don't ever want to visit." Robert carefully moved the chess board out of the way.

"Actually, they're both fairly friendly." Ham walked back into the stable, a disgruntled-looking Fontana trailing along behind him and Robert wondered what mischief the man had been planning. "Well, not friendly but they seem to understand the concept of 'as long as we don't try to eat the two-legged creatures, they won't try to hurt us'. Though it is rather unnerving to see the youngers bouncing around on their backs."

Robert blinked then glanced quickly at Chris, who grinned and nodded.

"Not to mention the fact that both of them live on _Rathorn_, not on _Nivana_. The sentient species there are more capable of dealing with them."

"I get the idea your people are never boring." Robert said, not noticing the sudden sharp looks Chris and Fontana both gave Ham.

Both Ham and Fontana grinned. "No, never boring." He agreed then both he and Fontana looked up abruptly, their amusement fading. "Shuttle." Ham said tersely and Robert was out the door and running for the dorms to warn them. Lights were hastily flipped off and people got off the street and into the various buildings. Two minutes later, a shuttle could be heard passing overhead.

Robert stood in the shadows of a dorm-trailer. Across the way, he could see Ham in the door of the now-dark stable. The earlier friendliness was gone completely, leaving behind the hard eyes and cold, remote expression of the stone-cold killer Donovan had often spoken of and that some of them had seen in action. Robert suppressed a shudder.

Then the shuttle was out of sight. Ham looked after it for a long moment then his eyes closed briefly and he reached up to absently touch the medallion hanging against his throat. When his eyes opened again, the coldness had faded, his face seemed to soften and he was again the man Robert had spent the evening talking with. The man who had teased Polly mercilessly and had gotten Robin to laugh for the first time in weeks. Maybe months. Ham looked up at the open doors of the loft then turned and vanished back into the stable.

Robert glanced up as well, knowing that Fontana was there before he even saw him. A moment later, Ham appeared behind the other _Barbarosian_ then they were moving back, disappearing into the shadows of the loft. By now, everyone knew the duo slept together in the loft -- they were doing nothing to hide it -- and most assumed they were lovers. A few of the less enlightened members of the Resistance had tried to make something of it but the fun had faded fast when it became very clear that Fontana had no idea what they were alluding to and Ham just plain didn't care.

"Can I come with you again tomorrow night?" Polly's voice came from behind him and Robert looked up to Polly leaning out of one of the trailer's windows.

"You're supposed to be in bed." He said sternly, not mentioning the fact that she hadn't actually come with them but had managed to sneak in later.

"I am in bed. I'm just not laying down in it."

"Well, lay down in it and go to sleep." Robert said. "And if Ham doesn't mind, you can come over tomorrow night."

Polly grinned and vanished from the window. Robert grinned as well, reflecting that his daughters, even little Katie, were rapidly losing any fear they may have had of Ham. Of course, listening to the man tell stories of how he, with the help of a couple other cadets, had smuggled an alien version of a sheep into their cadet master's quarters and the resulting chaos that followed or the time he and PularSinge had done a midnight run over the rooftops of the local village for reasons he didn't make clear - Robert suspected it wasn't completely legal even where he came from - did help.

------------------------------------------

"Fontana?" Ham settled onto the blanket next to the other man.

"Hmmmmm?" Fontana said sleepily, turning to burrow against him.

"As soon as you can, send a message to my mother and ask her if she could get Hellspawn to take Lady and Monster back to _Rathorn_ for awhile. The komodos as well, I think."

Fontana opened an eye, looking at him suspiciously. "What are you planning, Kom?"

"I'll explain later." Ham found himself suddenly and quite expertly pinned. He'd forgotten how fast Fontana could be.

"Explain now." Fontana growled.

Ham hesitated then, not wanting to explain claw marks in the morning, began to explain.

------------------------------------------

Donovan came back from the rendezvous with Martin with a video cassette and a grim look. It was a look that Tyler echoed once they had watched the video.

Tyler pulled out the cassette and set it with the other items for the raid. "You trust Parrish, Gooder?"

Donovan threw him a sharp look. "Yeah, I do."

"Good, 'cause she'll be your partner. Get Robert and teach her the basics of rappelling. Here." He gestured at the most complete layout of the plant, with additions made in careful pencil strokes. "The quickest way down to this area would be to rappel down. You and her will be doing that."

Donovan glanced at where he indicated and nodded. "All right."

"You got the rest of the day. Chris picked up the equipment you're going to need ... don't ask from where. Tomorrow we finish up, double-check all the equipment and go over the exact assignments." He glanced at the pile of material and his face tightened. "And tomorrow night we hit the plant."

"You gonna be talking with Robert tonight?" Donovan asked and Tyler gave him a surprised look.

"Probably." He grinned slightly. "He's still trying to figure out our family units. That oughta take him a few years."

"How much of it are you making up?"

Tyler stiffened, his face hardening. "None of it, Gooder. I keep my word. I said I'd tell the truth and I have and I will." He said curtly. "Now get out there and make sure your girlfriend can keep her end up." Turning, he walked out of the saloon.

Donovan looked after him, frowning. After all his long association with Tyler, he had a hard time believing that the man was actually telling the truth but Robert seemed to think he was. Of course, Tyler was a master of deception and Robert could be fooling himself into believing what the_Barbarosian_ was telling him. Like the Visitors, Tyler could be telling Robert what he wanted to hear. Julie, he knew, had one of the copies of Robert's notes. He'd discuss it with her later.

------------------------------------------

"I'm getting to be not too fond of heights here!" Julie squeaked and Donovan laughed then, hearing a second sharp bark of laughter behind him, looked back, surprised to see Tyler standing not far away, dressed in a black t-shirt and cutoffs. He knew that was what the man often wore these days when not on duty but it was still startling to see. He was watching Julie as she concentrated on rappelling down the side of the mock whorehouse, his face expressionless.

"Not bad." He said when Julie hit the ground. She looked up, startled to see him there.

"Do your people rappel?" She asked as she unattached herself.

"On rock. For wood ..." He raised his hands, extending his claws.

"I wouldn't think they'd hold your weight."

Tyler shrugged. "They do. Sometimes we use bracer/gloves with metal claws in them as well. Gives a little more power to ..."

A sudden shriek cut off his words and Tyler's head snapped around, searching for the source. Another shriek, this time with the words "Katie! Don't move!", gave him a direction and he was running for the other side of the camp, Donovan and Julie behind him.

Robin had her hands firmly on around Polly, holding her close. Katie was closer to the building, wide eyes staring at the raccoon that had obviously tearing through the trash that had been left behind the saloon. Even from this distance, Donovan could see the foamy spittle around the raccoon's mouth and he reached for his gun. Next to him, Tyler put on a sudden startling burst of speed. Snatching Katie up in one arm, he leapt upwards just as the raccoon darted forward. The claws of his free hand dug into the side of the building, toe claws groping for purchase in the wood then he was up and out of the raccoon's reach.

Donovan could hear the shouting behind him as he took careful aim and fired, the sound of his gun buried in a number of others. The raccoon was killed instantly.

"Robin! Polly!" Robert reached his daughter's side. "Go inside the trailer. Go. Now."

"Katie ..." Robin started.

"I'll bring her. Go on. All you kids! Go on!" Robert ordered and they reluctantly obeyed. There was a thump next to him and he turned to see Ham standing there, a white-faced Katie with both arms securely around the man's neck. It took them both a minute to convince the frightened girl to let go long enough to go to her father, where she wrapped both arms around his neck and hung on tightly. Julie helped him check the girl over, noting with mutual relief that there was no sign of injury.

"You better get her washed up good, just in case." Julie said and Robert nodded. He looked around, finally seeing Ham sitting on a nearby step, checking his legs for injury. He looked up as Robert approached, who was startled to realize that the man was almost as pale as Katie.

"Thank you." Robert said.

Ham nodded. "You might want to burn the clothes she's wearing. Just in case."

"Are you hurt?"

Ham shook his head, not bothering to hide his relief. "No. I got into the air fast enough. Once we take care of ... that, I'll take a shower." Grabbing the door jamb, he pulled himself to his feet but ended up leaning back against the building for a moment.

"Jeez, Tyler." Donovan looked at him and he half-smiled. "Nice to know you're afraid of something."

Tyler looked at him for a long moment, his eyes going hard. "I'm not the least bit ashamed to admit that the thought of rabies scares me ..." He cut off his words, looking at the number of young ears still in hearing distance. "Spitless." He finished. "Rabies is one of the few diseases known to jump species. I have no idea whether or not it could affect one of my people and I have no intention of ever finding out." Pushing himself away from the building, he moved to peer into a nearby barrel and grunted. "This'll do. We'll have to burn the carcass." He glanced around at the others. "Elias, could you get something flammable? Gasoline, kerosene, something along those lines."

"Yeah, sure. Give me a hand, will ya, Sancho?" The two men moved toward the small fleet of vehicles hidden under camouflage netting.

Tyler grabbed the barrel and rolled it away from the building. "We'll need a shovel ... something to scoop the carcass up in. And if you got anything you want burned, bring it on over. This may take awhile."

"And we'll have to be a lot more careful with leaving trash out." Julie said. "Once this is taken care of, we'll clean up this area. Move the trash area further from the camp."

Chris appeared, a bag of charcoal over his shoulder and a shovel in his hand. Handing the shovel to his friend, he tore open the bag and dumped the contents, as well as the bag itself, into the barrel. Tyler gingerly scooped the carcass up and dropped it carefully into the barrel, along with the trash that animal had been digging through. With a powerful wrench of his hands, he broke the shovel in half and dropped it in as well. Robert reappeared with Katie's clothing.

"Probably overkill but just in case." He said, dropping them into the barrel.

"Here. This is all we can spare out of our stores." Elias carefully poured a half-bucket of gasoline into the barrel.

"It'll have to be enough. We can burn this trash while we're at it." Taking a box of matches from Chris, he lit a match and flipped into the barrel, stepping back as flames roared up. "Someone will have to keep an eye on the fire." He glanced around impassively.

"We'll take turns." Julie said curtly. "Mike, you and I can take first watch." Ignoring Donovan's protests, she looked around. "Who wants second watch?"

They soon had a half-dozen volunteers to watch the fire and Julie set up a schedule, making sure anyone who was going on the raid took an early watch so they could get some sleep. "When it's done, the last group buries what's left. Come on, Mike. Let's get this area cleaned up."

Donovan glowered at her but she ignored him. "You're supposed to be delegating duties like this." He grumbled as he pulled on a pair of gloves, grimacing at the trash scattered about.

"Never ask your people to do something you wouldn't do yourself." Julie dropped an armful of trash into the barrel.

------------------------------------------

Chris glanced up as Ham stepped out of the bathroom, toweling his hair dry. "You okay, man?" He asked.

Ham grunted. "Sure." He tossed the towel into a nearby hamper and dropped into a chair. "I didn't think of raccoons." He said in disgust.

"Hey, we know it now. We deal with it now." Chris said sternly and after a moment, Ham nodded. "Robert came over, said he wouldn't be over tonight."

Ham chuckled. "Not surprised. I don't feel much like talking anyway."

"I, ah, loaded up some stuff for him to take back for the kids. Soda and such."

"Chocolate?"

"Some of it. There's some left."

"Better be." He eyed his friend then grinned. "Have plans for tonight?"

"Ahhhh ..." Chris flushed and Ham's grin deepened.

"I was wondering why the place was so clean. When's she coming over?"

"A couple hours."

Ham nodded absently. "I think I'll get Fontana and go do some hunting."

"Not for rabid dogs, I hope?"

"If we cross paths with any of them, we'll put them down. Otherwise we'll just get some food. You need anything?"

Chris reached over and opened the small refrigerator. "Nope. Everything's still here."

"Great." He stood and moved toward the door. "Then I'll see you ..." His lips quirked. "In the morning."

------------------------------------------

It was nightfall when they returned to the camp. Ham sent Fontana back to the stable with their catch and took a detour past where the contents of the barrel were still burning. The two people tending it were feeding the flames old newspapers and trash. Two buckets of water were nearby, ready to douse the fire if a shuttle should come too near. Satisfied that was being taken care of, he headed back to the stable and up into the loft.

He headed for the open loft doors, dropping to sit cross-legged there. From here, he could see most of the camp. The street was bare, except for the sentries at their posts. He could see some people in the saloon and others in the lounge but most were undoubtedly in bed. He doubted many of them were alone.

He heard Fontana settle down behind him, so close he could feel the heat of his body. "_Tomorrow will be busy._" Fontana commented, resting his chin on Ham's shoulder.

"_Very. Are you planning on behaving yourself?_"

Fontana sighed. "_If I must, I must._" He shifted slightly, lips lightly brushing the back of Ham's neck. Ham's breath caught and he shivered. "_Afraid?_" Fontana murmured against his skin.

"_Yes._" And he was. Not of dying, no, but of failure. Of watching other beings die and knowing that it was because he hadn't trained them enough or hadn't taught them the right things. "_Humans die too easily._" He added bitterly.

"_They'd die faster if you weren't here._" Fontana pointed out.

"_Maybe._"

"_That's not all you're afraid of._"

"_No._" He looked down at his hands. Capture was also a possibility but he didn't plan on surviving to fall into _phrashi_ hands. Claws, razor-sharp, were a last resort but he wouldn't hesitate to use them on himself, if need be. If he was quick enough, he could tear open his own throat before anyone could stop him. Cut deeply enough and he'd lose too much blood before his body could compensate to survive.

Fontana's hands covered his own. "_Don't!_" he said sharply. "_Don't think that way. As long as you live, there's always a chance of escape._"

Ham slipped his hands free but didn't pull away from Fontana's embrace. He hadn't lied to Robert when he'd told him that he and Fontana weren't lovers but he'd also known that the longer Fontana was here, the more likely they would be. While there were some women and a couple men in the camp that interested him, most of them were already taken and of the others ... well, he doubted they'd be interested in an a lover with claws.

"_You've been on Earth too long._" Fontana chided.

Ham stirred then whirled to push Fontana to the floor, covering his body with his own, tangling his claws in the other's hair. "_You think?_" He purred then he was up and leaping for the makeshift room. Fontana was up and after him within the second, tackling him and sending them both tumbling onto the blanket. Ham grunted at the impact then Fontana's mouth was covering his. Hands fumbled at clothing, stripping each other until bare flesh met bare flesh.

Their first coupling was frenzied, both having being celibate too long to take it slow. Once desperate need was fulfilled, they slowed down, taking their time exploring each other with hands and mouth and body.

Tomorrow night there could be death but tonight - tonight was a time to live.


	9. Part Eight

Ham turned in the embrace of his sleeping lover's arms, listening for the sounds of Chris and his lady friend leaving the RV. After a moment he heard the door open and the soft murmur of voices, smiling as he recognized the woman's voice. Alice Reynolds, he thought and his smile broadened. Talk about your mismatched pairs! She had to be at least half his friend's size. Slipping gently from Fontana's side, he reached for his shorts, pulling them on as the couple left the stable. Next to him, Fontana stirred slightly but didn't wake and he hesitated briefly, debating whether or not to wake him up. Finally he decided against it, moving quietly away and dropping down to the stable floor. He slipped into the RV, gathering up clothes and stepping into the small bathroom.

Knowing that the hot water was probably almost gone, he took a quick shower, just long enough to get clean of the night's activities. He dressed, grimacing as he pulled on his boots. A part of him wished he didn't have to wear them but he still had to pretend to be human and humans didn't do a raid like this barefoot. He'd better take gloves as well and he snatched up a pair, along with a stocking cap. Reaching up, he removed the chain from his neck, slipping the medallion into a zippered inside pocket then glanced around. Chris had the weapons they'd be taking already in the truck. He walked out, locking the door behind him.

Ham glanced up at the loft, wondering if he should go back up but then decided against it. He had too much to do and Fontana - he smiled slightly - Fontana would do his best to distract him.

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Donovan looked up as Tyler stepped from the stable. Dressed in black jeans and a dark windbreaker, Tyler looked as he did when he first appeared at their previous headquarters, cold-eyed and hard-faced. Except, in all the time he'd known Tyler, the man had been clean-shaven and his hair cut short. Now he had a beard and it looked like he was letting his hair grow out. Of course, that didn't make any difference, the former newsman reminded himself. A change in appearance didn't change what the man was.

Tyler shoved a pair of gloves and a stocking cap inside his jacket and started across the dirt street toward the saloon only to pause at a sudden shout. Little Katie was racing toward him and Donovan straightened, ready to cut Tyler down when he ... But to his jaw-dropping surprise, Tyler caught the girl up in one arm and swung her up onto his shoulder.

"Sleep well, kitten?" He heard the man ask and Katie answered with a loud meow, which made Tyler laugh as he walked over to where Robert was helping Robin from the trailer. Polly jumped down and ran over to the man.

"Fontana says there's a species of cats that walks on two legs and rides dogs!" She said excitedly.

"Well, in this case, he's telling the truth." Swinging Katie down, Tyler straightened. "There is a sentient species that looks like humanoid cats ... few of them bigger then Katie here ... and they do ride dogs. Mastiffs, Dalmatians, various other species of Earth dogs."

"Cool!" Polly hopped in place, looking ready to burst into a series of questions. Robert hurriedly cut her off.

"Robin, take your sisters and go get some breakfast. I'll be over in a few minutes." The teenager nodded and herded her sisters toward the mock whorehouse, Polly still hopping. "Have you eaten?" He asked Ham and the other man shook his head.

"Not yet. I'll get something later." He glanced after the children. "Fontana'll keep an eye on the girls while we're gone. I think I've convinced him to keep the tall tales to a minimum."

Robert grinned. "Think it'll work?"

Tyler chuckled, shaking his head. "No. Just have Robin write everything down and I'll look it over when we get back."

"Sure. Thanks." Robert turned to follow his daughters and Tyler walked over to the saloon, grunting a hello at Donovan as he passed him.

Donovan stared after him, then after the Maxwell family. If he didn't know better, he'd think that Robert actually liked the alien-born mercenary.

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Donovan was even more startled when he went over to the cafeteria set up in the whorehouse for lunch with Julie and saw Tyler sitting with the Maxwells. Tyler had never come to the cafeteria to eat before, though Chris often did. In fact, Chris was there now, sitting with Alice and a few others at another table nearby.

Picking up a plate, Donovan filled it with food and joined Julie at her table. He glanced over at Tyler, realizing for the first time that Katie was sitting in the man's lap, hanging determinedly onto his hand. He blinked, wondering what she was doing.

"Careful, kitten. Those are sharp." Tyler said suddenly and Donovan realized that the girl was intently examining the claw protruding from a finger.

"I wish I had claws! That would be fun! Nobody would tease me then!" Katie glared at her sisters.

"Can be fun. Can be real inconvenient as well. Gotta be real careful when you have an itch." He winked at Robert and Donovan barely kept his jaw from dropping open in shock.

Katie blinked, looking thoughtful. "Ouch." She said finally.

"And of course if _you_ had claws then your sisters would too."

"Oh." She looked at her sisters and pouted. "That wouldn't be any fun!"

Laughter erupted around the room and the girl pouted even more. Tyler shifted her up to a more comfortable position and offered her part of a brownie, which she accepted, saying something Donovan couldn't understand but that made both Robert and Tyler grin.

"_Muah ki_." Tyler said clearly.

"_Muah ki_." She repeated.

"Very good. You pick up languages fast."

"How many languages do you know?" Polly asked.

Tyler looked surprised. "I don't know. Never thought about it. We tend to pick them up. When I was your age. I knew - let's see - Packspeak,_Barbarosian_, English, all three of the Confederation languages, and _Taz_."

"Why _Taz_?" Robert asked.

"The _Taz_ can't speak any of the Confederation languages - something to do with their vocal apparatus - so if you want to understand what they're saying, you have to learn to understand their language. _S'mahe_ ..." He paused then translated. "Father usually had a _Taz_ or two with him whenever he came home so we'd pick it up from her." He reached for his glass. "On the other hand, learning English was more of an act of self-defense. Until we could understand it, the grownups would use it as sort of a private language."

Robert laughed. "That sounds familiar. But don't you have some kind of translators? For the _Taz_ languages?"

Tyler grinned. "The _Taz_ are the ones who make the translators. And they will not make a translator that will translate their language."

"Why not?"

Tyler shrugged. "Because they're _Taz_. And the _Taz_ do things like that."

"What's going on?" Donovan asked Julie in a low voice and she looked at him in surprise. "Tyler's never eaten here before."

She shrugged. "I guess no one's ever asked him to before. Polly, or maybe it was Katie, asked him."

Donovan blinked, looking over at Tyler with a frown. Tyler and Robert were talking quietly, obviously discussing something in a sketchbook on the table. Katie's head was now resting on Tyler's shoulder and she looked like she was getting ready to nod off, a piece of brownie still in her hand. It was, he thought, a remarkably domestic scene.

Which only made Donovan wonder what Tyler was really up to.

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Later that afternoon, the raiding party gathered in the saloon, watching the video tape Martin had gotten to Donovan the day before. Tyler gestured at it.

"Here's the tunnel we're going through."

On the TV screen, a tri-beamed laser pulsates malevolently from one end of the long tunnel to the other.

Donovan took over the narration. "That laser beam has one million volts tied up in it; they've drained half the power of the Pacific Coast to run the damn pumps. It will be turned off for just twelve minutes while they do a power switch to the grid in Vonneville, Oregon."

"When that switch goes on again, anyone caught inside is an instant charcoal briquette." Tyler said. "Watch."

Two storm troopers appeared, dragging a screaming man into view. With appalling casualness, they tossed him into the laser tunnel. He disappeared in a hair-raising singe of voltage.

"That poor kid wandered onto the grounds by mistake. They tossed him down there for sport." Donovan flipped off the VCR.

"We've got twelve minutes to set those charges, get back through the tunnel and get out." Tyler glanced at Chris. "You'd better explain the problem with the explosives."

Chris stood, flipping open one of the two silver cases Fontana had brought and pulling out a small rectangular device. "Small but very effective. We got plenty of these but we gotta use them all."

"Why?" Natalie demanded. "Why can't we hold some back for later use, if they're so good?"

It was obvious Chris expected that question. "'Cause the _Taz_ rigged these little beauties up. You try to open it, see how it works, they'll blow up. Not just one of them, all of them. And they're on a lock-timer. One of them gets set, they all get set. They all blow up." He grinned at the variety of expressions that greeted this announcement. "The _Taz_ are a sneaky and devious people."

"That helps explain why the _Barbarosian_ like them." Robert said.

Tyler grinned toothily. "We like cats, too."

"Well, that's a given." Robert shot back.

Nervous laughter greeted this exchange.

"These explosives beat what we would have had to use. But they're not perfect."

"What's the matter with ordinary explosives?" Julie asked and Chris shook his head.

"Won't make it, lady. Machinery we gotta blow is just too big. It would take a trailer-full to make a dent. We needed something special. This is it. It's something like nitroglycerin ..."

"Which means you don't shake it like a martini." Tyler cut in, glancing at Donovan, who glowered back at him.

"And here's the kicker - this stuff is stable only between sixty and seventy-two degrees Fahrenheit. So much as one degree over or under that, it could go up at any time." Chris glanced around then returned to his chair.

Tyler looked around, noting the faintly shell-shocked looks with satisfaction. "Double-check your equipment. Triple-check it. Drivers, check your vehicles. And everybody!" He glanced at the pristine Visitor handgun holstered at Donovan's side. "Blacken up your Visitor weapons and dull down anything shiny, be it gun, knife, metal buttons, anything! We start heading out in an hour." Tyler stood back and watched impassively as the others left the building, knowing full well that some of them would never return.

Even, quite possibly, himself.

He followed the last of the raiding party from the building and walked over to the stable. Chris, he knew, was supervising the checking of the vehicles. He had one last thing to take care before he joined him in a final double-check of the equipment.

Tyler climbed up into the loft, not surprised to see Fontana sitting against the wall of the small room. Wordlessly he sank down next to him, reaching out to stroke a hand gently up the other's arm. He lingered briefly on the wide black bracer, the symbol of Fontana's Confederation citizenship, then trailed his fingers up the inside of his arm and onto his shoulder until he reached the intricate tattoo set in the hollow there, each design in it naming his partners and children. Given time and inclination, his own name-symbol could eventually join the others there. He traced his brother's name-symbol lightly then let his hand drop.

"Hem'sha'ree ..."

"_Earthers have so many words for goodbye._" He glanced at Ham. "_We have none_."

"_Because we never say goodbye. We will always meet again. In this world or the next_." He smiled slightly. "_The Earthers say they don't believe in ghosts_."

Fontana snorted._"Maybe I should stay through Jubilation. That'll change their minds real fast_."

Ham chuckled then grew somber. "Hem'sha'ree_, remember your promise. If I don't return_ ..."

Fontana looked away. "_I'll do my best, _Komees Ihn'e_. That's all I can do_."

Ham nodded. "_There's paper in the RV. You can keep the children busy by writing up information on our people_._ And don't be making things up just to turn Maxwell green_."

The other man finally smiled. "_I haven't accomplished that yet_._Even with the stuff that's true_."

Ham's lips quirked then he sighed. "_Humans don't approve of public displays of affection between members of the same sex so if you want any memories, take them now_."

Fontana blinked at him. "_Humans are weird_." He said before leaning forward to capture the other's mouth in a deep kiss. Ham couldn't protest even if he wanted to; which he didn't. He'd been thinking that for years.

After a long moment, he pulled free, caressing the other's face lightly and murmuring soft words before rising and walking over to drop lightly to the stable floor.

They had no words for goodbye but they had many words for _until we meet again_.

------------------------------------------

Tossing the last of the ropes into the back of the truck, Tyler glanced over at the couple still talking in the shadow of the nearby building. He didn't have to hear what they were saying in order to know what they were talking about. Making plans and designing dreams.

"Come on, you two! Move it!" He ordered more harshly then necessary and they broke apart. Maggie and Mark. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. Opening the door, he slipped into the passenger seat. Chris started the truck, waiting for the couple to climb aboard before pulling away. In order to avoid anyone noticing a caravan of trucks, each one was leaving fifteen minutes apart and traveling by a different route. They were the second truck to leave.

Tyler refused to look back but Chris did. Several people were watching them leave, including the Maxwell girls. He looked for Fontana; finally spotting him perched on top of the stable's roof with his double-ended axe, looking vaguely like a gargoyle in the approaching dusk. Despite Ham saying that Fontana wasn't a fighter, he knew the man would defend the camp as well as any of the rebels.

Neither man spoke as they traveled to their destination. Everything they had ever had to say to each other they already knew.

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Tyler checked his watch then signaled behind him. The rebels began to creep up the hill, clinging to the cover of the huge pipes like vines to a trellis. Tyler took point, counting on his superior sense of smell to warn him of any Visitors lurking about. Rico and Natalie, paired for this operation, took rear guard.

Behind him, unnoticed by the others, Julie paused, shaking her head to try and rid herself of the feeling of being disoriented.

"What is it?" Donovan hissed.

Julie bit her lip. "Nothing." She whispered back.

"Sure?"

"Yeah, sure."

They followed the others up the hill and were soon crawling along the pipes to the base of the catwalks. The entire area was lit up brightly by searchlights and they made their way carefully from shadow to shadow.

A sudden sharp clang rang through the night and Tyler froze in a shadow, mentally cursing. He knew that sound, the sound of a rifle barrel striking metal. Above him, a guard appeared, looking over the area tensely. After a long moment of seeing nothing, the guard relaxed and stepped back again. Tyler looked to where the sound had come from in time to see Maggie slipping from the shadows to the deserted spot the guard had just checked and he smiled slightly in approval. Her crossbow was cocked and ready and she was keeping an eye on him, waiting for the signal. Mark was next to her, rifle ready, covering her.

Julie took careful aim at another guard then realized, to her horror, that she was holding her weapon in her left hand. Quickly she switched hands, looking around to see if anyone had noticed. She didn't think anyone had, though Tyler was giving her a hard look. She aimed again, this time with her right hand but her hand was shaking. The more she tried to control it, the worse it seemed to shake.

Sancho carefully slipped a hunting knife from his belt, rising slowly from his crouch. Holding the knife by the blade, he started to climb.

Tyler glanced upward then signaled. Immediately Maggie and Julie fired. Maggie's bolt hit her target, sending the Visitor over the rail and to the ground but Julie missed badly. Unable to control her aim, her shots went wild then Donovan's hand was over hers, steadying her aim. The next bullet struck the guard and sent him tumbling to join his comrade.

At the sound of the others falling, the third guard spun around, only to catch Sancho's thrown knife in his throat. He fell where he stood and Sancho hurriedly slipped up to retrieve his knife.

Donovan joined Tyler and together they lead the others up the ladders, along the catwalks, and behind the gargantuan concrete knuckles that encased the pipes to the tiny door set in a small concrete abutment. It seemed dwarfed by the massive pipe overhead. A tiny door was set in a small concrete abutment, dwarfed in scale by the massive pipe overhead. The pipe was emblazoned with signs in Visitor and an international "No Entry" symbol. Tyler paused to glanced over the nearest sign.

"'No Entry. Danger.' Not very original." He grunted and Donovan gave him a surprised look.

"You can read that?"

"I can read a number of languages. The Visitors language is enough like the old_Sslisslik_ language that I can reason it out." He looked over his shoulder then back at Donovan. "Keep an eye on your lady friend, Gooder. I still can't trust her."

Donovan met Tyler's gaze squarely, lips thinning but said nothing. He turned to open the door and stepped inside. Gesturing Caleb forward, the two men raised the heavy manhole cover just inside.

A long, narrow ladder led down to the electric tunnel below. They could hear a loud, thundering rush of noise roaring up from the bowels of the plant below and see the deadly laser gleaming with frightening intensity below.

Donovan checked his watch. "Five seconds. Four, three, two one!" The laser field faded out and Donovan immediately swung onto the ladder and climbed down, sliding the last few feet. Tyler was right behind him. As soon as he was clear of the surrounding cement, Tyler pushed off from the ladder to drop gracefully down the last several feet.

Pulling off his stocking cap, he shoved it into his jacket and pulled free his preferred weapon, working the bolt. The rest of the group climbed down, gathering at the foot of the ladder.

"Eleven minutes, fifty-five seconds. Let's move." He said curtly. Tyler and Donovan led them at a quick sprint through the long corridor and past gleaming strips of colored pipe. Stream rolled along the floor as they entered the hydraulic pumping valve room. Ladders and catwalks led off from this room in several directions. Waving the others to a halt behind the gigantic equipment, Tyler signaled Chris forward and the duo eased into the open space, Chris angled to keep an eye behind and to the right of them, Tyler watching forward and left. Steam rolled down the steps from the adjoining floor and many of the rebels nervously eyed their bombs.

Reaching the base of the nearest ladder, Tyler looked up to see two Visitor guards patrolling the catwalk directly above. Silently turning back to the rebels, he directed the various teams to their designated targets, using a prearranged system of taps and gestures.

As the other teams slipped off, Tyler gestured to the remaining team, his team, and led the way to the pump room, the very heart of the operation. As they hit the bottom of the stairs, Chris fell back to set his back to one of the pipes, crossbow ready. Tyler casually walked down the length of the huge room, looking left and right and up as the pairs raced past him to the huge pipes. Rico, as the last man down, sidled sideways to tap Chris on the shoulder and then raced to join his partner.

In the upper levels of the plant, the other teams scattered to their destinations. On the catwalks above the main room of the plant, the turbine room, Robert shoved the dead body of the crane operator to one side, making room for Julie and Donovan to climb upwards. With them on their way, Robert stepped back into the shadows, keeping an eye on the Visitor workers below. The noise in the huge room was deafening and all the workers wore ear protectors. Despite their situation, the man couldn't help but wonder if the Visitors even had ears.

Elias slipped back to keep an eye on the door they had come through, watching as Julie and Donovan made their way around the catwalk. Catching sight of a movement behind him, he ducked back by the door just as a security guard stepped though. Seeing the two humans on the catwalk across the room, the guard stepped forward, raising his laser rifle and sighting them in the scope. Elias moved, slamming the butt of his rifle to the back of the Visitor's head and sending him over the rail. His heart almost stopped but the body fell between a couple stacks of crates and no one on the floor below heard or saw a thing. He moved back into the shadows.

Julie and Donovan rappelled down to the lower catwalk and started setting their explosives. Julie jumped as the timer started on the one she was holding. Chris must have set the timer on one of his, which had then started the timers on all of them. She gritted her teeth and continued her deadly work.

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Down in the electrical room, Mark and Maggie set their charges on alternating rows of consoles, moving quickly.

Mark paused briefly to wipe his face. "Is it hot in here or am I just scared?"

Maggie looked at the gauge on the bomb she was holding and shuddered. "Seventy degrees and rising. We'd better make this fast."

"Or get blown to Kingdom Come."

"Seventy-one. Maybe we should plant these somewhere else."

"No way! I can play hardball with Tyler anytime."

Maggie gave him a desperate look but didn't argue as she followed him to the next panel.

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In the pump room, Tyler walked among the pairs, watching them as they set their bombs. He noticed Alice tilt a bomb so Caleb could see the temperature and the man grimaced, glancing at him and jerking his head in a 'come here' gesture. Tyler moved to look over the man's shoulder, lips thinning at what he saw.

"This stuff's starting to bubble."

Tyler nodded and said curtly. "Keep working." He strolled over to Chris' side, leaning casually back against the pipe he was attaching a bomb to.

"What's your reading?" He asked quietly.

Chris glanced over his shoulder and then at his friend. "I get seventy-one."

"Trinity Preserve." Tyler muttered, looking at the people scattered along the huge room then at his watch. "Finish up."

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On the catwalk, Donovan and Julie placed their last charge. Julie checked her watch.

"Four minutes. Let's get out of here."

They started for the door but two troopers spotted them from the far door. Both Donovan and Julie dropped to the ground as laser blasts seared the wall above them. Julie rolled onto her side and returned fire, hitting one of the troopers squarely, sending him tumbling over the railing and to the floor, right into a group of Visitor workers. Startled, they looked up, spotting the couple on the catwalk.

Swearing harshly, Donovan climbed back to his feet, Julie right beside him. Together they dodged laser fire as they ran for the door. On the catwalk above them, Robert made his way over to Elias, firing as he went, trying to cover for the couple as they fled. Finally reaching the door, he ducked through, yelling for the other man to follow him.

------------------------------------------

Maggie looked anxiously at the bomb she held. The explosive charge was bubbling merrily away.

"Will you please stop?! We're about to blow sky-high!"

"Just one more ..." Mark set a last charge. "That's it! Let's go!" Maggie slapped her last bomb on another console and followed him from the room.

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Tyler checked his watch, watching as the seconds ticked down. Finally ...

"All right, people! Three minutes! We're outta here! Go! Go!"

Instantly the rebels discarded any bombs they had left and were moving, running for the exit. Tyler and Chris watched, waiting for the last pair to pass before following them.

Other teams joined them as they raced to the tunnel and then through it. Tyler dropped back, spinning to spray the pursuing troopers with gunfire, dimly aware of Donovan and Julie doing the same. Laser bolts ricocheted crazily off the pipes and walls.

"Move, damn it!" He shouted at the fleeing rebels, cursing the lack of any cover in the tunnel. Good planning on the Visitors part, lousy luck for them.

"One minute!" Donovan shouted.

Tyler paused only long enough to check a fallen human – dead - then sprinted for the stairs. Only one length of tunnel separated the stairs from the ladder out, but the troopers were gaining fast. Laser bolts flared around them and he felt one slam into his right shoulder. He hit the ground, rolling on the concrete to put out any flames then scrambled back to his feet. His shoulder burned but the vest had dissipated the worst effects of the bolt. He started for the ladder then, hearing a shout behind him, turned to look behind him. His face tightened at the sight of Mark sprawled on the stairs, suddenly realizing that the smell of burning flesh hadn't been his. The former cop was holding off the troopers with short bursts of gunfire, all the while telling Maggie, who was trying to look at his leg, to go.

Tyler ran back to them, dropping next to Maggie "How bad are you hit?" He glanced at the wound, his stomach churning at the smell of charred flesh.

"Get her out of here! I'll hold them off!"

Tyler glanced at his watch, less then 30 seconds, and ground his teeth together, meeting the man's determined eyes. Without a word, he set his SMG on the step next to Mark, along with a full magazine then reached over to grab Maggie, dragging the struggling woman away. Behind him, he could hear Mark shooting in short, control bursts, forcing the troopers to keep their heads down.

A sudden explosion rocked the floor and Tyler swore, realizing that the explosions were going off early. He shoved Maggie to the ladder.

"Climb!"

"No! Mark!"

Tyler shoved her up the ladder, deliberately raking her legs with his claws. "Climb, damn it! Or we're both going to die!" He snarled and Maggie, shocked at the sudden pain, obeyed. Tyler scrambled after her, hearing one last, almost triumphant scream from Mark as the laser field came back on, instantly incinerating everything still in the tunnel in a mad festival of sparkling light. Deadly sparks spit random death in all directions.

Pushing Maggie ahead of him, they ran after the others, Tyler pulling his handgun from its holster. Sirens were sounding and harsh lights swept the area, centering on the fleeing rebels. Troopers shouted, firing at them and Tyler's lips thinned as a couple more humans fell. Shouting to Father Andrew, Tyler shoved Maggie into his keeping and turned to fire at a trooper then cursed soundly when he realized that Donovan and Julie were cut from the main body of rebels by a detachment of Visitor troops.

"Chris! The back way! Go!"

The big man nodded and took the lead, climbing off the pipes and down the hill. Tyler motioned the others to follow.

"What about Donovan and Julie?" Father Andrew asked.

"They know the alternate plan."

"But they're cut off!" Sancho looked back. "They can't get through. I'm going back for them." He started back only to stop dead at the unmistakable feel of a gun pressing into his stomach. He looked up to meet cold hard eyes, as emotionless as a pair of brown marbles.

"Move, Slick. Now." Tyler ordered and Sancho grudgingly backed up, finally turning to follow the others.

A laser burst exploded against the catwalk near him and Tyler turned to fire at the troopers, swearing when the gun clicked empty after three shots. "Go!" He ordered the others as the pipes beneath him began to rock and split from the sudden re-introduction of all that water. Tossing the gun to one side and snatching a knife from the sheath on his thigh, Tyler lunged forward, thrusting the sharp blade into one of the pursuing troopers and throwing him off the catwalk. The second trooper tried to use his rifle but Tyler was too close. Instead he slammed the butt into the man's ribs and Tyler staggered back, the knife slipping from his hand. Instinctively, he lashed out, claws slashing the Visitor's throat. Green blood splattered him as the Visitor grabbed for his throat, hands clutching the torn flesh desperately. Tyler reached for the rifle but a laser blast struck the railing, spitting paint chips and sparks upwards, burning his face and he fell back, blinded. The railing hit him mid-back and he followed the path of least resistance over it, hitting the ground in a barely controlled tumble, biting back a scream as something struck the right side of his face hard. Pain lanced through his eye as he staggered to his feet.

"Tyler! Here! Over here!"

Opening his eyes, he tried to blink away the multi-colored spots obscuring his vision. His right eye hurt and he could feel wetness flowing from it but he could see - barely see - from his left. Just enough to know where the alternate route was and he sprinted for it, hoping desperately that he didn't trip over anything. He felt a hand grab his arm and he almost attacked before realizing that the hand had the warmth of a human and the scent of Alice Reynolds.

"How much can you see?" She asked quietly as she half-guided him down the hill and toward where the vehicles were hidden.

"Shapes. Barely. Chris?"

"He and Father Andrew are covering us. Here's the truck."

Tyler felt hands grab him, helping him into the bed of the truck. He moved to sit against the cab, trying to blink his eyes clear. The last of the Rebels scrambled up behind him and the truck pulled away. Behind them was the sound of shooting and explosions and rushing water. He reached up to rub at his eyes but hands caught his firmly.

"You've got something in your eye." Maggie's voice was remote. "Hold still."

He managed not to flinch as she forced his right eye open, gritting his teeth as she worked a persistent paint chip free and then rinsed his eyes with water. "Bleeding?" He asked tightly.

"Not much but I am. You clawed me!"

"Gotcha moving, didn't it?" He said curtly. "Be glad you didn't have a tail. I woulda bitten it."

He heard the slosh of water then a water-soaked cloth was being pressed in his hand. "Sounds like you've done that before."

Gratefully he pressed the cloth against his aching eyes. "Once. To Pular Singe to get her across a suspension bridge. I learned a lot of new words that day. And some very interesting, if impossible, sexual suggestions."

"I'll bet. What did she do to you?"

"I'm not telling. You gotta think up your own revenge."

There was silence for a moment. "You caught a blast in the back, didn't you? Are you burned?"

"Yeah. Anyone else hurt?"

"Elias caught a blast as well and Sancho looks like he has a couple fingers broken. Get your jacket off and I'll get some burn cream on it."

Tyler obeyed, working off his jacket then the vest, hissing as he touched a hot spot on the metal. The shirt was harder to remove; the cloth had been burnt onto the wound. He felt Maggie ease the cloth away, using water to help loosen it and he gritted his teeth against the pain, reflecting that if this kept up, his teeth would never grow back properly. A moment later, soothing cream was being spread over the burn and he let his head sag in relief, resting his forehead on his knee. Gauze was taped over the burn and then he felt a blanket being draped around him. For the first time he was aware of being cold and he drew it close.

He could hear the others talking in low tones around him then a sudden sharp cry. Stomach muscles tightening, he looked up. There were still multi-colored spots in his vision and his right eye seemed to be swelling shut but he could see well enough to make out the fighter ship speeding away from the plant, two more in hot pursuit.

"Donovan, I bet." Someone said and Tyler grinned slightly, reflecting that it probably was Donovan. Crazy son of a bitch. He'll be all right and Parrish too, if she was with him.

He looked around the bed of the truck, looking over the occupants. Elias had his own shirt off and Alice was spreading cream on a much larger burn then he had, right in the middle of the man's back. It looked ugly but not life-threatening. Chris and Father Andrew were sitting by the tailgate, keeping an eye out for any pursuit. Natalie, Caleb, and Sancho just sat there, looking numb and exhausted. And Maggie ...

He looked at the blond woman sitting with her back set in the corner of the truck, legs drawn up against her chest, staring into the distance. A part of him, the part that was still Ham Tyler, reflected that people die in war, that casualties had to be expected, that people die all the time. But he knew these people, they weren't just nameless faces and statistics and ... well, he wasn't _just_ Ham Tyler anymore.

Reaching out, Tyler gently touched Maggie's hand. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. She looked at him for a long moment then the tears came. He let her lean into him, her head on his shoulder, and slipped his arm around her, pulling the blanket close around them both, not noticing the startled looks some of the others gave him. Closing his aching eyes, Tyler tried to remember how long it took for eyes to heal.

He had no idea how much time had passed when a familiar sound caught his attention. Maggie had stopped crying but was still curled up against him and she threw him a puzzled look as he straightened, good eye searching the night sky.

"Shuttle." He said tersely before turning to rap urgently on the truck cab. Immediately the truck pulled over and all lights doused. The rebels ducked their heads, hiding the tell-tale gleam of flesh and eyes from the shuttle lights. Tyler pulled the blanket over his and Maggie's heads, listening as the sound grew louder and then suddenly veered off. He continued to listen as the sound faded then waited a few minutes more before pulling the blanket away and signaling the driver to continue.

"Trinity help us all if they ever start using heat detectors." He muttered then frowned, looking around the bed of the truck.

"What's wrong?" Maggie asked, slipping free of the blanket. Tyler shivered and pulled it closed again, wincing as the rough material scrapped over the burn, even through the gauze.

"My jacket ..."

Maggie glanced down. "It's pretty well ruined."

"My medallion's in an inside pocket."

Maggie reached down to tug the jacket out from underneath her, searching it until she found the medallion. A tingle shivered across her skin as she held it and she froze in surprise then Tyler was taking it from her hand, absently running his thumb over the familiar carvings. He couldn't see them but he could envision them.

_Shadow__ Nit'shi__ H'nor_

"What kind of material is that?" Maggie asked quietly and he looked up, startled.

"_Kirien_ ivory." He said, flipping it over and running a thumb over the symbols carved there. "This," He indicated a small, intricate symbol on the lower left of the medallion. "Is the name-symbol of the _Kirien_ it came from. Darkness Rising. See, it's illegal to possess _Kirien_ or _Rathorn_ ivory without the permission of the being it came from. Darkness Rising's an old friend of my mother's so, every time my mother got pregnant, she'd send a chuck of her ivory to be used for Trinity medallions. Otherwise they're made out of gold or silver."

"That ..." Maggie touched the symbol in the center of the back of the medallion. "Looks familiar."

"My name-symbol. You probably saw the tattoo behind my ear." Absently he reached up to touch where the tattoo was once again covered by flesh-colored makeup then turned the medallion back over. Maggie studied the figures on it.

"What is the Trinity?" She finally asked.

He smiled slightly - he'd wondered when someone would ask that question - and pointed at the suited figure on the left. "Shadow was a _Shikito_, a methane-breathing species. That's an environmental suit he's wearing. Nit'shi was a _Barbarosian_ ... Robert calls them elves and that will do. And H'nor was a _Chi'tok_, an insect race. Hundreds of years ago, the _Shikito_ and the _Chi'tok_ were at war with each other. Why, I have no idea. By that time, I don't think they had any idea either. In their time," He tapped the medallion. "There was an unknown alien species making hit-and-run attacks on pretty much every known planet and species. One day, a _Shikito_ ship and a _Chi'tok_ ship were having a rather intense ... disagreement about something or other when they both received a distress signal from a Confederation passenger ship that was under attack. Much to their credit, the two captains broke off their own battle and went to the ship's aid. They managed to destroy the attacking ship but there were already raiding parties on the passenger ship so both _Shikito_ and _Chi'tok_ sent warriors on board to help."

Tyler paused, remembering the stories told of that day and wishing he'd dare have Fontana bring back some of the movies made about it. "It was a rather memorial battle, especially since both the _Shikito_ and _Chi'tok_ warriors were battling the enemy while doing their best to completely ignore each other. It worked to a point ... there are stories of _Chi'tok_ helping _Shikito_ repair their environmental suits or _Shikito_ dragging _Chi'tok_ to safety while not once actually acknowledging each other's presence." He raised the medallion. "Both captains sent squads to help protect the heart of the ship, one of its most vulnerable areas. What was left of both squads joined up with the ship's security people who were already there. During the fierce fighting that followed, all were killed ... except for three."

"The Trinity." Maggie said quietly and Tyler nodded.

"Well, of course they weren't called that then but yes. When the fighting was all done ..." He paused, throat tightening. There was so much more to the story ... "When it was done, the captains came on board to help as best they could. In the corridor to the ship's heart, they found three warriors of three species - _Shikito_,_ Barbarosian_,_ Chi'tok_ - hurt but still alive. For hours, just the three of them had managed to hold off the attackers; it wasn't a very wide corridor and the attackers were hampered by the fact they were so big that essentially only one, maybe two, could attack at a time. But it was the way the three of them had worked together to fend off the attackers that eventually grew into legend. Now they're a constant reminder that you don't have to be of the same species to work together."

"What happened to them?" Father Andrew asked and Tyler glanced up, startled. It was obvious that he'd completely forgotten about the others.

"They stayed together as a team for decades until their ship disappeared while on a scouting mission. They were the first Trinity but not the last. Trinities are still being formed, always three beings, always of three different species. In fact," He smiled slightly. "Belief in the Trinity is so prevalent that a Deity was said to be created from it - the Three-faced Deity. You see her/him/it whenever new Trinities are formed." He unhooked the heavy chain and started to slip it on. He felt Maggie take the chain from him and let his hands drop, allowing her to reattach it around his neck. He stroked the medallion's face absently.

Natalie cleared her throat. "Interesting bedtime story." She said, not bothering to hide the sneer in her voice.

Tyler shrugged disinterestedly. "Believe me or not. That's your choice. I really don't care either way." He pulled the blanket tighter, looking behind them with his one good eye. The right side of his face was rapidly swelling, turning a variety of colors it was never meant to be.

Maggie saw Natalie open her mouth to say something else and glared her to silence, helped by Caleb digging an elbow into the woman's ribs. The woman seemed to realize that now was not the time to be baiting Tyler and she subsided into a sulky silence.

An hour later they finally pulled into the darkened base. Figures came out of the darkness to help the wounded to the infirmary and the tired to readied beds. Tyler dropped down from the truck, watching as the others headed for their beds.

"We the first ones back?" Fontana nodded and Tyler sighed tiredly. The earlier adrenaline rush was gone and now he could feel every ache in his body. "Get me a shirt and jacket, will you?"

Fontana looked like he wanted to protest but he didn't, knowing full well that Tyler wouldn't go to bed until all the trucks were back safely. He turned to vanish into the darkness of the stable, returning moments later with the requested clothing, as well as the med kit he had brought with him to Earth.

"Let's go into the saloon." He said curtly. "I can take care of your wounds."

Tyler didn't protest as he followed the man into the darkened building. Fontana turned a lamp on low and gestured for him to sit down. Tyler moved over to a bar stool, sitting down and letting the blanket fall away. Fontana caught it and tossed it to one side, watching as Ham crossed his arms on the bar and rested his head on them wearily. Gently he worked the gauze covering the burn off and cleaned the wound of the burn cream before smearing on a liberal handful of_ kuta_ salve and covering the burn with a fresh piece of gauze.

"You can take the gauze off before bed. Here." He offered him the shirt and Ham gingerly pulled it on. "Turn around. I'll get your face." Ham obeyed, leaning back against the bar as Fontana dabbed the salve lightly onto the right side of his face as well as the milder burns around his left eye.

"Want me to bandage that?" He asked but Ham shook his head no.

"Two dead for certain." He said finally. "Maybe more ..."

"A lot more alive." Fontana corrected. "Because of you."

A muscle twitched in the other man's cheek and he shook his head again. Slipping off the bar stool, he took the jacket from the bar and pulled it on but Fontana grabbed his arm before he could take a step.

"Stay." He said firmly. "There's nothing you can do out there right now. Stay until the next truck comes."

"If it comes." Ham said in a wooden voice but he sat back down on the stool, staring out the window.

The second truck pulled in a half hour later and Ham's relief at seeing both Robert Maxwell and Rico Jones still alive was almost palpable, at least to Fontana. They went out to meet the truck, inventorying wounds and the missing, Ham once again impassive. The last truck pulled in an hour later, having had to take a circular route to avoid the sudden appearance of patrols. As the occupants made their way wearily to either the infirmary or their beds, Ham tallied up the final figures in his head, his face totally expressionless.

Eleven wounded, seven missing. Two of the missing were definitely dead, three presumed dead. The last two, Julie and Donovan, were presumed to be on the run. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared sightlessly into the darkness.

Fontana finally convinced Ham to go to bed, promising to keep watch for any others. His eye aching and face and shoulder throbbing, Ham reluctantly agreed. He made his way to the stable and up into the loft, stripping off boots and jacket before collapsing on the makeshift bed. He was dimly aware of Fontana covering him with one of the thick quilts that had appeared one cold night - he didn't particularly want to know where Fontana had 'found' them - then he was falling into a dreamless sleep.

Fontana knelt next to Ham for a long moment, gently stroking his hair, wishing he could join him in sleep. But he had made a promise and he always kept his promises. Leaning down, he kissed Ham lightly on the temple where the crescent-shaped scar was, murmuring soft words before rising and gathering up his double-ended axe.

------------------------------------------

"There it is." Donovan gasped, pointing and Julie sagged against a nearby tree, looking thankfully at the base camp through the trees.

"About time. My feet are raw! And I want to sleep for a couple of days."

"Just sleep?" Donovan teased, slipping an arm around her. She leaned against him, thankful that they were both still alive ...

"You two look like shit." The dry voice came from above them and Julie and Donovan jumped apart, scrambling for their weapons only to realize that the voice was Fontana's. He was perched in the tree above them, looking down with no expression at all, his double-ended axe in one hand.

"Standing guard?" Donovan asked curtly.

"Someone has to. Everyone else is exhausted." He dropped to the ground. "I thought you might come back this way."

Donovan opened his mouth to say something biting but Julie cut him off curtly. "What's the casualty report?"

"Two dead, three missing, eleven wounded. The worst of the wounded is Elias; he has a large burn on his back. And Rico has a broken ankle. Everyone else's wounds are fairly minor. Some sprained fingers, burns." Fontana started for the camp, the couple falling in beside him. "Though Maggie has claw marks that ended up needing stitches."

"Claw marks?" Donovan said sharply. "Tyler?"

Fontana blinked. "Who else? It was the only way to get her moving up the ladder and he took it. She'll limp for awhile but he keeps his claws clean so she doesn't have to worry about infection." He looked at Julie. "And he'd like to talk to you later. Privately."

"About what?" Donovan asked.

"How should I know? And what business is it of yours?" Fontana said irritably.

"The dead? The missing?" Julie asked hurriedly in an attempt to forestall an argument. "Who are they?"

"Susan Newitt, Mark Bradley, Paul Jenkins, Yi Lee, Scott Nichols."

Julie ran the names through her head, seeing an image of each of them and her heart sank. Luckily none of them had children but most had significant others. She'd have to meet with them. As if reading her thoughts, Fontana continued.

"Kom already met and spoke with their partners."

"About?" Donovan asked.

Fontana threw him an exasperated look. "About their deaths, of course. Though they'd already guessed when they didn't come back with the others."

"I'll get cleaned up and then I'll talk to them as well. Could you let Ham know I'll come talk to him after I get some sleep and some food?"

"Sure. He was asleep last time I checked. He'll be up in the loft." Fontana's lips quirked into a rueful smile. "Chris and Alice have co-opted the RV."

Julie stopped dead. "Chris and Alice?" Despite everything, she giggled.

"They are a mismatched pair." Fontana walked away, heading not for the stable but for the makeshift schoolroom, a long table set outside the trailers where the camp's children were sitting with pads of papers and pencils and a couple adults were giving them a basic education as best they could.

The couple made their way to their sleeping quarters, their progress there slowed by the many people happily greeting them. Donovan took the opportunity to get a rather sketchy report of the other teams' actions, frowning at some of the reports. On a whole, it had gone well but there were some things he found disturbing. He'd have to check into them. Later. Once he got some sleep.

------------------------------------------

Later that afternoon, Donovan leaned against the corral, watching Julie and Maggie talk in the distance. They had already spoken with several of the others and Donovan was surprised at how many people spoke highly of Tyler, despite the man threatening Sancho with a gun. Even Sancho had professed no hard feelings, insisting that while he hadn't liked it, he did understand why Tyler did it.

After several minutes, the two women embraced then Maggie walked away by herself. Julie watched her for a moment then turned to join Donovan. He walked out to meet her.

"How is she?" He asked.

"I think she'll be okay. In a while. They were planning to get married."

Donovan shook his head. "I didn't know."

"Nobody did." She started to walk back to the base, Donovan falling in beside her. "A big mistake, making those kind of plans, the way things are."

Donovan stopped and turned to her. "Julie, without something to look forward to, people give up. I'd like to come out of this thing alive, with my son, with some sort of normal life again. I'd like you to be a part of it.

"I can't even think of that, now." She moved away from him.

"What's wrong?" Donovan followed hurriedly.

"I couldn't aim the pistol. I keep using my left hand. They screwed me up so bad I don't trust myself anymore."

"It will get better ..."

"No, Tyler was right. I've got to step down before I hurt us all."

"You can't do that. That's what he wants. A chance to get control of this group."

"Maybe. Maybe not. He'd do a far better job of it than I currently can." She angled for the stable.

"I'll go with you ..."

"No. He asked for a private meeting. And I'd like to hear what he has to say."

Donovan grabbed her arm. "You can't possibly trust him."

Julie threw him an impatient look. "If he wanted to hurt me, he would have done it long before now."

"What he wants is control of this group, you know that."

"No, actually I don't. I don't know what he wants. That's what I'm going to find out. And it's something I have to do. Alone." With that, she turned and walked into the stable. Donovan clenched his teeth and started to follow only to find his way blocked by Fontana. The_Barbarosian_ didn't say a word but the message was clear and Donovan reluctantly backed down.

Fontana stared at him for a long moment then turned to walk away, heading for the woods. Donovan scowled, glancing at the stable but finally turned away, walking over to the makeshift school where Harmony and Jessie were currently taking their turns with the children.

------------------------------------------

Maggie walked through the woods aimlessly, the events of last night running through her mind, playing a game of what if. What if she'd been hit rather then Mark? Would she have had the courage to stay behind to cover his escape or, more likely, would Mark have stayed behind to cover Tyler as he carried her away? Would Tyler have done that or would he have left her behind as dead weight? And why, she thought bitterly, why couldn't Tyler have been the one who'd been wounded? He, at least, could have survived it.

But she knew better. Not even Tyler would have survived. A leg wound as severe as Mark's while in the laser tunnel would have been death for anyone, especially with less then thirty seconds left. Tyler would never have been able to make it out by himself and he certainly wouldn't have expected anyone to risk their life for his. Rather she liked it or not, Tyler had done - if not the right thing - the only thing that could have been done.

A sudden sound made her stop and she looked around, realizing suddenly that she had walked further then she intended. There was no sign of the town and fear shot through her, remembering that there still might be rabid dogs out here. She reached into her jacket pocket to grip the pistol there as she searched the underbrush.

"Turn left and go straight." Fontana's voice came from behind her and she jumped, just barely stifling a scream. Heart pounding, she whirled around; finally spotting him crouched on a branch above her.

"I thought you were one of the rabid dogs." She blurted.

Fontana grinned. "Never a dog and only occasionally rabid." He said cheekily and she surprised herself by laughing. Fontana dropped from the branch, gesturing the way he'd indicated. "The camp's that way."

"Thanks. I got turned around."

"I thought you might. That's why I followed you."

"Is that the only reason?" She asked curiously. He didn't answer but he didn't need to. She could guess why else he'd followed her. "When Tyler first came to the group, I thought he was the most arrogant, selfish, bigoted bastard I'd ever met. Now ... he confuses me."

"That's sounds fair. Right now, he's confusing himself." He grinned at her expression. "For years, he's had to keep people from getting near him, of ever getting to know him. At first, it was a defense mechanism, to hide the fact that he isn't human. Later," He fell silent for a moment. "Later, it became armor, to keep people from caring about him. To keep from caring about them. This is the first time in years he's let his guard down. To let people come near him in anything other then a physical sense. He has to get used to the pain again."

"And the pleasures?" Maggie looked shrewdly at him.

Fontana smiled ruefully. "You can't have one without the other. But it's not easy for him. Earth can be a remarkably ... painful place." He paused and Maggie saw that they had reached the bluff above the town. Down below, she could see the inhabitants going about their business. "He likes children." Fontana said suddenly. "He has a daughter, in fact. Hasn't seen her in years."

"I didn't know."

"I doubt anyone else here does. Except for Chris, of course."

"Why does he stay? Here, on Earth."

"You'll have to ask him that. He might tell you. Someday." Fontana slipped down the bluff, turning to help her down. "If you want some company later, we're having a get-drunk-and-watch-bad-movies session later. Or a Mr. Ed marathon, we haven't decided yet."

"Mr. Ed?"

"It's hysterically funny when you're drunk."

"I'll bet. Maybe. Thanks."

"Just bring your own liquor. What we drink can be lethal."

"Not surprised. Could we send some to Diana?"

Fontana looked at her in surprise. "Now that's a thought. Unfortunately we only have two bottles and I'm pretty sure we're going to drink them both." But he didn't lose the thoughtful look her remark had provoked.

------------------------------------------

Julie stepped into the stable, surprised at how homey it appeared. The battered easy chair and lawn chairs had been joined by an equally battered sofa with no legs and an entertainment center with broken off doors. A TV and VCR were set on the latter.

"Parrish?" Tyler's voice came from the loft.

"Yeah." She started for the ladder.

"Good. Bring up an ice pack, will you? In the cooler by the RV's door. Grab yourself a soda if you want one."

Julie blinked, turning to find the cooler. She opened it and pulled out an ice pack and a can of cola, stuffing them into a pocket long enough to climb up the ladder.

Tyler was sitting in a chaise lounge set back from the loft doors, close enough for him to look out but far enough back not to be seen. He was dressed in what she found herself thinking of as his 'human' clothes - black jeans, t-shirt, an unbuttoned heavier shirt, and boots. As she approached, he removed the melting ice pack from the right side of his face and she whistled.

"That's going to be a beauty when it grows up." She offered him the ice pack.

"What color is it now?" He asked, indicating that she should pull up a lawn chair. She unfolded one from the wall and dropped into it.

"Mostly purples with some blues and greens. And a little yellow. And a bit of orange. A very interesting color combination. What happened?"

"Laser bolt ricocheted paint chips and sparks into my eyes then I tumbled off the catwalk and hit the side of my face against something. At least I can finally see out of my left eye without seeing spots as well. The right one got a nice-sized paint chip in it, scratched it up a bit, did come damage. Nothing serious but I'm only going to have one eye for a couple days. I'm thinking of getting an eye patch so I don't scare the kids."

"If you're serious, you can get one from the Infirmary. You're on your own for a parrot and a peg leg though."

Tyler stared at her in surprise then gave a sharp bark of laughter as he set the new ice pack over his eye, leaning back in the chaise lounge. Almost absently, he reached down to pick up an orange from a basket of fruit next to him, turning it over in his hand.

"The Earth orange," He said almost idly. "Is a very odd fruit. It won't grow on any other planet. Something grows but it's not an orange. It's not edible. Some beings have spent years, even decades, trying to get oranges to grow on another planet." He tossed the orange to Julie. Confused, she caught it, opening her mouth to ask what he was talking about but before she could make a sound, realization hit her.

_She had caught the orange with her right hand!_

She stared at the orange, speechless, barely hearing Tyler as he continued talking.

"The effects of conversion will eventually wear off. How quickly depends on a number of factors. How strong-willed a being is, how old ..."

"And you've known this how long?" She asked angrily.

"Does it matter? We needed you fighting the conversion, not waiting for it to wear off." Tyler balanced the pack over his eye and let his hand drop. "Someone who is strong-willed or older would be very hard to convert and the procedure would have to be repeated periodically. Someone weak-willed or a child ... the conversion would stick better but an older person ... they're too set. Too much experience. Eventually such a person would ..." He paused, groping for the words. "Would absorb the conversion memories with their own and move on. It just becomes part of their experiences. You can't change a being's beliefs permanently overnight."

"So that's why they believe a _Barbarosian_ can't be converted. The only ones they could ever get their hands on would be too old to convert."

"Exactly."

"So a lot of that taunting ..."

"Was to make you fight harder." Swinging a leg to each side of the chaise lounge, Tyler sat forward, catching the ice pack as it fell from its perch, using it to gesture at her. "If I ever seriously thought you were a threat to this group, you woulda been dead a long time ago."

Julie studied him intently. "Mike thinks you want to take control of the group." She said slowly.

Tyler snorted. "I don't want control of this group. I never have." He gestured at himself with the ice pack. "Me, I'm a warrior. A soldier if you like. Or a killer, which Donovan prefers. I'll train people to fight and I'll lead them into battle and I'll do what needs to be done no matter how nasty it can get but this isn't a camp of fighters. There are noncombatants here. Children. They need a leader who can work the finances and the supplies and deal with non-fighters. Someone who can - soft-soap things and work public relations. I can't do that. I scare people. Even when I'm friendly, I usually end up scaring people. That's just the way I am. If I had wanted to be running a group, I'd find, or create, a group composed solely of fighters." He looked at her intently. "As long as you have the sense to let me do what I do best when it needs to be done then I have no problem with you leading."

Julie almost spoke up then cut her words off, thinking fiercely to herself. Everything Tyler had said, she realized, was true. Tyler had objected to her being the leader but he'd never once put himself forward to take her place. "If I wasn't leader, who would you recommend?" She asked.

"Caleb." He said without hesitation. "With Robert and Sancho as his lieutenants. Between the three of them, they'd do just fine."

"Not Mike?"

Tyler frowned, leaning back again and replacing the ice pack. "Donovan takes the high moral ground too often. He can't grasp the concept that sometimes you gotta send people out to fight even if death is certain or that sometimes you gotta kill someone who just plan needs killing. He'd wanna capture Diana and put her on trial. Me, I'd slit her throat and bury her somewhere anonymous. Maybe I'd be wrong but at least we'd know she wouldn't be hurting anyone ever again."

Julie thought it over, coming to the conclusion that, for the most part, he was right. "So you're going to lay off the taunting?"

Tyler's lips twitched. "Where's the fun in that?" He chuckled at her expression. "I'll ease up but until you're back to 100, I'm gonna be here reminding you to watch yourself. It's not impossible that Diana's put some little mental time bombs in your mind and I don't want them catching us unawares."

The woman shuddered at the thought. "But you'll back me up when needed? And follow orders?"

"If you'll listen to me when needed. And hear what I have to say."

"Deal." She sat back in the chair, absently peeling the orange. "Well, now that we've made a big splash ..." She grinned at Tyler's groan. "Now what?"

"Now what nothing." Tyler said firmly. "We tend to our dead and our wounded and recuperate. We need to lie low and unwind for at least a couple days. Personally, I plan on getting drunk tonight and watch bad movies."

"I didn't think you could get drunk."

"Not on Earth alcohol but Fontana brought in some _Barbarosian_ wine, which he just told me about last night. So we're going to get wasted. Which reminds me, how are the wounded?" He asked.

"All of them are mobile, though Elias is walking very gingerly. And complaining about having to sleep on his stomach. But at least he's alive to complain." She broke the orange apart and held out a chunk. Ham took it absently.

"True." He popped a piece into his mouth. "A few days rest then we start all over again. We need medical supplies ..."

"But not right now." Julie said firmly. "You're right. We need to take it easy for a couple days. We've supplies enough for now. We'll start planning for that in a few days." She hesitated then cleared her throat. "When's Fontana planning on leaving?"

Ham's face tightened and he looked away. "Next moonless night. Maybe a week or so." His voice was curt.

There was something in his tone that Julie didn't grasp right away. When she did, she looked at him sharply. "You told Robert that you and Fontana weren't lovers."

"When I told him that, we weren't. Why?" He looked at her. "Does it matter?" There was no challenge in his words, only curiosity.

"No." Her lips twitched as she realized she was blushing. "Most of the camp already assumes you two are lovers so it shouldn't make any difference that you actually are. How did we get into this discussion?" She asked rather desperately in an attempt to get the thought of how two men would make love out of her mind. Though_that_ particular image was rather interesting ...

Tyler grinned and she wondered if he'd guessed at what she was thinking, which made her blush even more. His next words turned her completely scarlet.

"You're wondering how two men have sex." He laughed at her expression. "Don't look so shocked. You'd be surprised at how many women wonder the same thing. I had a lover once, a lady, who I always suspected would have liked to have ... directed the action, so to speak." He smiled. "Just don't ask Fontana. He _will_ tell you. In graphic detail. With pictures. And quite possibly demonstrations." By now Julie was sure she'd never return to her natural coloring. "And as for how we got on this discussion, you asked, I answered. I said I wouldn't lie, no matter what Donovan thinks. Which reminds me. I have to go over what Fontana wrote out while we were gone. Trinity only knows what he put down." He tossed the ice pack to one side and stood, stretching - well, Julie couldn't help but think - stretching like a cat. Even to the point of extending each claw. "Finished blushing now?"

"Probably not for several hours." She stood as well, making her way over to the ladder. Looking down, she grimaced. "I'm really beginning to hate heights."

Ham chuckled. Before she could even think of protesting, he had scooped her up in his arms and leapt from the loft.

------------------------------------------

Donovan was watching Harmony with the children. She really wasn't doing much, just working at keeping the children busy with a variety of art projects.

Julie's startled squeak caught his attention and he whirled to run for the stable, certain Tyler was up to no good, but before he could take a step, Julie appeared in the doorway, leaning against the door as she laughed helplessly.

"That did nothing for my budding fear of heights!" She said over her shoulder.

"Gotcha down out of the loft, didn't it? And stopped you blushing as well." Tyler walked past her, his usual remote expression offset by the colorful swelling of the right side of his face. He nodded curtly at Donovan as he passed him. "Seen Fontana?" He asked Harmony.

"He went into the woods."

Tyler grunted, looking down at what the children were doing. He stepped sideways to stand behind Polly. "Not bad. But if that's a _Kitling_, you have the legs wrong."

"I do? How?"

"Ever see a cat's hind legs?" Reaching past the girl, Tyler pulled over a blank sheet of paper and picked up a pencil. He leaned over her, bracing his free hand on the table. "See, cats are toe-walkers." To Donovan's astonishment, the man began to sketch. "They walk on their toes, here. This bit is their ankle and over here would be their knee. See?"

"Wow! Cool!"

"Then you just ..." He flicked the pencil rapidly over the paper. "There. That's a _Kitling_. They only have three fingers and a thumb. And they do have tails. Well, most of them have tails."

"That one has a lot of tail!"

Tyler chuckled. "Yeah, he does."

Both Donovan and Julie walked over to look at the sketch. It was surprisingly good, showing a humanoid cat with medium length gray and white fur and a tail that looked too long for it's body. It wore a loincloth and what looked like a leather cuirass. Tyler set that sketch aside and pulled over another blank paper, sketching on it rapidly.

"Now, this is another toe-walker. But you'll notice that Jester ... that's Jester, the _Kitling_ ... stands upright. This one stoops over." What looked to be a humanoid rat was appearing under rapid strokes of the pencil. "Because of her build, y'see. _Prih'enshi_ rarely stand fully upright. She would stand maybe stomach high to me. There." He wrote Pular Singe' on the sketch of the ratgirl and then 'Jester the Kitling' on the other. "You might want to give these to your father."

"Okay!"

"Hidden talents?" Donovan asked and Tyler glanced at him.

"Not really. I used to teach art. Years ago. I just haven't had much use for those skills lately. Harmony, if you see Fontana, tell him I want to talk to him."

"Sure."

Tyler turned and walked away, leaving Donovan gaping after him in astonishment and Julie looking thoughtful.


	10. Interlude Eight

**Starting the morning after Part Eight ends and covering the next few days**

Julie never found out exactly what happened in the stable the previous night. All she knew was that all the participants ... Ham, Chris, Alice, Maggie, Robert, Sancho, Rico, Elias, Caleb, Fontana, a few others ... spent the next two days at the mock church, working at cleaning it up. All of them, even the two _Barbarosians_, looked more then a little hung over but no one complained as they cleaned out the trash and did what repairs they could. All of the women and some of the men occasionally burst into uncontrollable giggles. When she ventured to ask Father Andrew what had happened, he'd just said that he'd caught them doing something they shouldn't have been doing and took the opportunity to guilt-trip them into fixing up the church. She never found out what it was they were doing and she wasn't ever too sure she wanted to know.

------------------------------------------

While most people in the group concentrated on relaxing with a vengeance, Donovan left the next day to meet with several of his contacts. Julie found herself too busy to miss him as she stepped from the role of resistance leader to recreational director, determined, with Father Andrew's help, to keep the games clean and safe. Which is how she found herself refereeing a football game in progress. Or rather, not in progress.

"Damn it, Tyler! Stop catching the ball with your claws!" Elias yelled for the second time in the first half. Tyler was holding the deflating football, eying it almost sadly while the majority of the field howled with laughter.

"This is why my people don't have any games that involve air-filled objects." Tyler grumbled, tossing the ball to one side. It landed next to another football, much more severely deflated. "And I am not catching them with my claws! Exactly."

"You ever think of declawing ..." Sancho started jokingly then stopped dead at the sudden fierce amber-eyed look Tyler gave him, a look that softened almost immediately.

"Sorry, Slick." Tyler said apologetically. "Just not a good idea to mention declawing around a _Barbarosian_. That's one of the things commonly done to a captured _Barbarosian_." He looked off in the distance, where the mothership could be dimly seen. "They cut our claws out."

Julie shuddered, thinking of what it would feel like, to have claws cut out. Probably like having your fingernails pulled out. She could hear Sancho apologizing then Chris, returning from the stable, tossed a pair of leather gloves to his friend. "Here. These'll help."

Tyler grunted, pulling on the gloves, smiling slightly for no reason Julie could see as Chris handed a second pair to Fontana. "We got another ball?" Chris tossed him the one he'd brought with him. Tyler caught then passed it on to Elias. "Sure you don't wanna play, Parrish? We could use another person ..." There was a teasing note in his voice.

"Haha." Julie grinned suddenly, an impish look that made her look even more like a kid. "I'm enjoying the show too much." The game was skins versus shirts and a number of the camp's women were on the sidelines, enjoying a rare opportunity to ogle the men. Tyler's side was the skins.

For once Fontana, playing on Tyler's side, was wearing sneakers, as was Tyler himself. This had puzzled Julie until Tyler had explained that while there was little chance of accidentally hurting anyone with the claws on their fingers, in a pile up someone could land on their bare feet and get clawed that way. Fontana was obviously unhappy with having to wear the shoes and now gloves but otherwise he seemed to be having fun. Not so the other side, who were finding that the slender _Barbarosian_ was extremely good at slithering through tight openings or, if need be, simply leaping over the opposition.

"I thought you guys could run real fast." Linda said during a break. "Like when you grabbed up Katie that day."

Tyler poured water over his head, shaking his hair to get rid of the excess. "Just for very short distances. I can run steady all day, if need be but those bursts of speed can be killers. They wear us out faster then pretty much anything else can ... if we do it too much." He ran his hands through his hair, pushing it back and squeezing water from it. Julie caught a glimpse of the tattoo behind his ear then he let his hair fall back into place, once again covering it. "So we don't do it often. Just when absolutely necessary." He took a soda from the cooler. "What's up there?" He nodded back toward the camp and Julie looked back, feeling a pang of dread. She felt an even sharper one when she realized what Tyler had spotted.

"I take it your eye has healed up." She remarked in an attempt to avoid answering. She knew it wouldn't work even before Tyler gave her a sharp look. While there was still some discoloring around his right eye, it was obvious his eye was working fine. "Harmony thought Willie could use some fresh air. Both she and Caleb are with him." She said, meeting Tyler's narrowed eyes with a level gaze. It was obvious he didn't like it but, to her surprise, he just looked at the trio in the distance, his face expressionless. "He'll be back inside before we return to camp." Julie said firmly and Tyler looked at her in surprise. She smiled slightly and, after a moment, he nodded.

"Fontana, behave." He said sternly and Julie noticed that the other man was looking after the trio as well, his own eyes narrowed. "Come on; let's get back to the game."

------------------------------------------

They had two and a half days of activities that had nothing to do with the Visitors or fighting before reality set back in. A grim message came to the group stating that over two-thirds of the Playa Del Mar Resistance had been wiped out in a raid on their headquarters. Julie found herself staring at the message with a mixture of anger and grief until Tyler finally pried it from her hands and read it himself.

"They want help with a Visitor instillation." He said tonelessly. "What do we know about this group?"

"Does it matter?" Julie asked angrily.

"It might." He tossed the message onto a nearby table. "How was their HQ found? Did the survivors get away or were they allowed to get away? Or maybe they were captured and then allowed to get away. It could be a trap."

A part of her wanted to scream at him but the leader part of her reflected that he could be right. He was looking at her coldly and she could see the old Ham Tyler in his eyes, waiting for her to screw up. She gulped air and steadied herself, looking around the war room. "Who knows this group?" She asked. "Or anyone in the group?"

The others shifted uneasily, looking at each other. "I do." Alice spoke up. "Or I should. I grew up around there."

Julie nodded. "Anyone else?" There was no answer and she nodded. "Fine. Alice, I want you and Chris to go out there, see what you can find out. Be careful."

She half-expected Tyler to protest and from the looks on some of the others so did they but he just watched as Alice and Chris left the building.

"Uhm ... why Farber?" Elias finally asked.

"Because he and Alice work good together. I'm sure between the two of them; they can work out a cover story."

Tyler chuckled deeply and she was surprised to see amusement gleaming in his eyes. "Ten bucks says they go with big bad biker and his chick." The others looked at him startled and he shrugged. "Hey, Chris'll use any excuse to ride a bike. And most folks, human folks, won't mess with a biker."

An hour later, the couple left the camp on one of the battered souped-up Harleys Elias had brought in, wearing the colors from a Canadian biker gang. Chris was grinning broadly, as happy as a child with a new toy, and Alice was hanging on for dear life, looking like she was wondering how she ever got into this mess.

------------------------------------------

By evening, Julie was considering a good long wallow in self-pity. Mike was gone for yet another night and she was wrestling with the mess he'd made of the accounts while she was held prisoner on the mothership. She found herself longing for a long bubble bath but knew she couldn't justify it, not even to herself. Maybe there was a gallon of ice cream in the freezer. Or a bottle of scotch somewhere ...

"Parrish." Julie jumped, clamping down on a shriek of surprise. She turned to see Tyler standing behind her, looking at her speculatively.

"Don't do that!" She said between clenched teeth and Tyler looked faintly surprised. "We don't hear as well as your people do." She reminded him.

"Sorry. I did forget." He paused, frowning. "We need to talk."

"About?" Julie asked, puzzled.

Tyler hesitated again. "Things you should know - need to know - about me." He said finally. "About my people. Things that can't become public knowledge yet."

Julie felt her stomach lurch, wondering what secrets Tyler was going to reveal. A part of her didn't want to hear them, didn't want to know any more secrets but another part of her reflected that if Tyler thought it important to tell her, she'd better listen. Not to mention the fact that he seemed to trust her enough to tell her these things. She took a deep breath.

"Fine. Where?"

The tension seemed to ease from Tyler's body. "The northern field, where we can't be overheard." Humor glinted in his eyes. "And where your reputation will be fairly secure." He saw the puzzlement on her face and arched an eyebrow. "You haven't heard the rumors then? About you and me?" He asked dryly. "They're very interesting, considering the total time we've spent together alone consists of less then thirty minutes."

Julie felt her face flame. "Who ... no, never mind. I don't want to know." But she could guess, she thought as she grabbed the holster she had taken off earlier and put it on.

"Not that thirty minutes wouldn't be enough time ... barely ... but one doesn't like to rush these things ..."

She glared up at him, seeing the laughter in his eyes. "You ... you ..." She sputtered and he grinned.

"Don't tell me you haven't wondered?" He purred and she felt her flush deepen. Taking a deep breath, she crossed her arms and stared up at him sternly.

"According to Robert's notes on your people, all daughters are taught by their mothers on how to use a gelding knife." She said sweetly and the amusement fled Tyler's face, along with a little color. He backed up slightly, looking down at her warily. "I'm thinking maybe that might be something we should start here."

After a moment, Tyler chuckled ruefully. "All right, point taken. Come on, let's get this over with." He turned toward the door then hesitated. "Fontana, Robert, and the girls are putting together pizzas. Wanna join us tonight? Some of the others are coming over as well, to watch movies."

Julie blinked, surprised at the invitation then grinned. "Sure, that would be great. Wait a minute." She glanced over her shoulder. "If I'm not coming back here then we better put that stuff away." She started back, Tyler behind her.

"I don't know. That could bring our time alone up to almost an hour ..." He murmured almost in her ear and she caught him in the ribs with a sharp elbow, leaving him sputtering and laughing on the floor. Scooping up the papers, she walked them back to the office and locked them up safely, all the while trying to maintain an air of dignity, well aware that she wasn't succeeding and seriously wondering if having Tyler as a friend was really any better then having him as an enemy.

------------------------------------------

After three days on the road, Donovan finally returned to the base about noon, exhausted but elated. He'd managed to pick up a great deal of helpful information from his various contacts and there had been several requests for meets with other Resistance groups. He'd go over the stuff with Julie later. Parking the car under the camouflage netting, he started for the town only to pause as a motorcycle roared up. Chris flipped the bike off and looked over his shoulder, grinning broadly.

"You can let go now. And open your eyes."

After a moment, Alice peered cautiously around the big man. "I don't know if I can. I think my fingers are locked."

With a roar of laughter, Chris swung off the bike and scooped Alice up and off the bike with one arm. Flipping a casual wave to Donovan, the couple headed for the stable.

Donovan looked after them for a long moment then shook his head. After a rather lukewarm shower and a change of clothing, he gathered together everything and headed for the saloon. He was disappointed to see Tyler there, sitting on the bar cross-legged, thumbing through a sheaf of papers, looking remarkably comfortable in shorts and a sleeveless shirt. He glanced up as Donovan entered.

"And I thought my math was bad. No wonder Parrish is so stressed out."

"What are you doing?" Donovan asked sharply, feeling uneasy. Maybe it was the fact that Tyler was once again minus his boots and gloves. For some reason, that disturbed him.

"Back checking the accounts." Tyler made a series of notations on a piece of paper and compared the result with the original before shaking his head in frustration. "What we need is an accountant."

"That bad?" Julie said worriedly as she emerged from the back rooms.

"Worse then bad. This account is less then five dollars from being empty. This other one is a little better." He absently rubbed the tips of his fingers against his cheek and Donovan realized that he was rubbing the back of his extended claws against his skin. "Of the others ... " He shook his head, frowning. "I'm going to try and get a message to Johnny." He said suddenly. "See if he can send something to help out."

"Would that be safe?" Donovan asked.

"Probably not." Tyler said bluntly. "If I had access to my Swiss accounts, I could transfer money in but that's even more dangerous, especially without the proper help. The Visitors have locked down on the Swiss banks in a major way. On the other hand ... " He looked thoughtful, absently rapping the end of the pencil on the paper he held. "I might be able to work things out, eventually, but we need cash fast. At this rate, we'll be broke in less then six weeks."

Julie winced. "Do what you can." She said and Tyler nodded. Setting the papers to one side, he slipped off the bar, pausing to stretch. Donovan couldn't help but notice Julie watching that maneuver appreciatively and he felt a stab of jealousy. "Come back when you're done. I think Mike has some information for us."

Tyler nodded again before padding from the building. Donovan scowled after him as he set the packet he carried on a table. "This isn't stuff he needs to know." He said curtly.

Julie looked at him in surprise. "Of course it is." She sat down, reaching for the packet.

"Julie ... " Donovan glanced after the man as he sat next to her. "We're letting Tyler get too involved in everything. He knows too much. He could do a lot of damage to the group."

"So could you." Julie pointed out. "And so could I. And so could others in this group."

"But he isn't actually one of _us_."

"One of us?" Julie looked at him, remembering some of the things Tyler had told her the night before and her voice sharpened. "One of us ... what? A member of the Resistance? The Human Race? White? Catholic? Heterosexual? What?"

Donovan looked at her in surprise then decided he didn't want to go there. "You're trusting him way too much."

"Like you trust Martin?"

"That's different!"

"How?" She demanded.

Donovan hesitated, trying to find words that she wouldn't misunderstand. "Martin has helped us out a lot."

"So has Tyler. Only he's down here with us. Helping us, fighting next to us, taking wounds for us. Saving some of our lives." Julie studied him for a long moment then shook her head. "What you really mean is that Martin is your friend."

"Well, yes."

"And Tyler isn't." Julie sighed. Obviously Donovan thought that the fact Martin was his friend meant more then it really did. "Ham is a member of the LA Resistance and he is the only military expert we have. Probably the best one we could _ever_ have. This is the kind of work he does. We need him and he needs to know everything so he can help us. Now let's see what you have." She looked up at him with a sudden smile. "I hope what you have is worth the three days separation."

Donovan blinked then grinned back. "Well, let's look and see."

A half hour later, when Tyler came back, the couple had everything spread out on the table and were sorting it in order of importance. He sat down, not interrupting, just watching and listening as Donovan outlined what he'd found out. Despite Julie's words, the former reporter found himself holding some things back, telling himself he'd discuss them with Julie later. Once or twice, he noticed Tyler looking at him oddly but he ignored it. When he'd finally finished, Tyler studied him for a long moment then looked at Julie.

"Johnny's going to do what he can about helping us out with finances." He said. "And he's getting a message to the London Resistance. I think maybe they can sneak in and drain my Swiss accounts, for a fee of course, and siphon the money to us." He startled Donovan by grinning suddenly, shaking his head ruefully. "They're currently financing their big projects with money siphoned off from the old Nazi accounts still in the Swiss banks. They should be able to handle this."

"How can they get away with it?" Donovan asked.

Tyler hesitated then shrugged. "The London Resistance has a major league computer expert." He paused, smiling slightly at the memory of the buxom blue-haired ... or whatever colored hair it was this week ... woman working her deft computer magic in the tiny fitting room that was constantly closed for maintenance. "Plus it's based in a series of legitimate stores. They can launder the money through them. But it'll take a couple two, three months. Maybe longer."

"So we keep our heads above water until then." Julie sighed.

"If it's enough money to be helpful." Donovan challenged.

"It will be. I doubt they'll take too big of a fee and I suspect they'll siphon some of the Nazi money this way as well."

"Why would they do that?" Donovan demanded.

Tyler smiled slightly, a smile with a hint of mockery in it. "Well, to be honest, I think the leader of the London Resistance wants to get into my pants." He gave a bark of laughter at the look that statement brought to Donovan's face before rising and walking from the building, still chuckling.

Julie was laughing as well. "The look on your face ..."

"It's disbelief." Donovan said sharply. "I have a hard time thinking anyone would want to get into _his_ pants."

"Oh, I don't know ..." Julie said thoughtfully, looking after Tyler.

"Julie!"

The woman rolled her eyes at him. "Please. Despite rumors to the contrary, I am_ not_ interested in him, he is _not_ interested in me. But that doesn't mean I can't look." She added sternly and Donovan knew she's seen his expression earlier. "Just like _you_ look. And don't try to tell me that's different."

Donovan flushed, realizing that was exactly what he was thinking and wondering what rumors she was talking about.

------------------------------------------

Diana entered the morgue, her anger almost palpable. The destruction of the water plant had put their plans back several weeks, if not months. Most of the technicians dead and all that water ... Not lost, just temporarily out of reach. The plant would have to be rebuilt, new technicians either trained or brought from the home world and security increased. All of which took precious time and resources.

"What is it?" She snapped at Steven, barely giving the shrouded body on the slab a glance.

"Something you might like to see." Stephen said with more smugness then she thought applicable. He stepped to the side of the body, pulling the shroud down and gesturing at the neck wound.

She glanced at it, wondering what the fuss was about. Despite the decomposition, she could see that the trooper's throat had been cut rather inexpertly but other then that ... then she looked again, eyes narrowing.

Not one wound but four. Four slashes across the throat, not immediately fatal but eventually so as the trooper had bled out. Raising her hand, she curved the fingers, setting them at the entry site of the wounds. If she had claws ...

"A _Barbarosian_." She breathed.

"It was thought that there were some on Earth."

"Outriders." Diana smiled. Outriders, she knew, were not covered by the laws of the Confederation.

"There have been rumors."

Diana waved him silent, her thoughts churning. There had been rumors, yes. The Piper was supposedly in Greece but that, of course, was utter nonsense since The Piper and his two counterparts - The Singer and The Dancer - didn't exist. Wolf had reportedly been seen in Italy and rumor had it that Coyote had been spotted in New York, a thought that almost made her shudder. Wolf was, for the most part, predictable but Coyote the trickster never went the same way twice. Or so she'd heard. And then the rumor that the former Hawk was on Earth ... She'd suppressed that rumor quickly and ruthlessly and even now buried it in her own mind.

There was nothing they could do about _them_ except hope they'd eventually get bored and go away. Even the Four Quarters were constrained in what they could do on a non-Confederation world. But a _Barbarosian_ ... What she could do with a _Barbarosian_.

She thought back on the research she'd studied over the years, the experiments that had been conducted on captive _Barbarosians_; regrettably none in her lifetime. By the time she'd been hatched, the Confederation had changed their routes to avoid their territory completely so all she had to go on were recordings and research over seventy years out-of-date. Diana did have to admit that some of the experiments were rather inventive; especially that time when her former mentor, in his youth, had decided to find out what would happen if a caustic acid was introduced into the bloodstream of a_ Barbarosian_. It had, if she remembered correctly, taken the creature several hours to die.

Waving Steven to her side, she turned and walked from the morgue. "We have established that it was the LA Resistance that destroyed the plant, correct?"

"Yes. Some of the survivors remember seeing Parrish and Donovan."

"Any indication as to who the _Barbarosian_ may be?"

"None. The plant's recording equipment was all destroyed and none of the survivors remember seeing anyone who would meet the criteria. Leaving this evidence of its presence had to have been an error."

"A fatal error on its part." Diana fell into deep thought. If she could just capture one, it could be confirmed whether or not they could be converted. She suspected the theory that they couldn't was correct but it would be so much fun just to try. And if it didn't work, well, there was just so much that could be done to a _Barbarosian_. In fact her mentor had theorized that if you could break them down into an animal state they would make for an interesting pet. After all, it was common knowledge that _Barbarosians_ were little more then very clever animals, barely sentient at all. Of course you'd always have to be on guard around such a pet ... Diana smiled suddenly, her thoughts racing. If she could breed the_ Barbarosian_ to a human, the resulting offspring should be more pliable. She'd have to look through the past research carefully to see if anything similar had ever been attempted.

Diana stepped into her private area and walked through to the small sleeping room where she kept her most prized human pets. There was only one occupant at this time and she studied him with a critical air.

"A little change in plans, I think." She said over her shoulder.

Steven looked at her with some uncertainty. "We won't be able to get information from a _Barbarosian_. We can from Donovan."

Diana threw him a scornful look. Steven, like far too many of her people, vastly overestimated the _Barbarosians_. Some even believed that outrageous tale that a curse cast by a _Barbarosian_ is why their people had changed so many generations ago, after the so-called Sundering. That, of course, was pure foolishness. "Perhaps we can get it all. The _Barbarosian_, Donovan, Parrish. And the LA Resistance."

She smiled at the brown-haired boy sitting at the table inside the little room.


	11. Part Nine

Donovan sat cross-legged on the mattress in the bedroom he shared with Julie, Robert's master copy of material spread out around him. While the copies Robin had made had all the written material, this was the only one that included the sketches Tyler had done and the diagrams Robin had put together. Apparently, Tyler had spent the majority of his free time doing little else but sketching. There was even a size chart showing all the _Barbarosian_ races, from the four-foot tall Dwarf to the nine-foot tall Giant. The other sketches varied but concentrated on the _B__arbarosians_. There were the Avians with their leathery batlike wings, the short stoutish Dwarves, the slender pointed-eared Elves, the huge Giants, the _Myr_ with their solid black eyes and dark skin, the human-looking _Rov'r_, the hairless _Selkie_ with their crests and scaleyish skin, and the furred _Treean_ with their prehensile tails. Each race had been painstakingly drawn out and notes written neatly in the margins.

He glanced up as Julie eased into the crowded room, grinning as he watched her step gingerly around him and to the only piece of furniture they allowed themselves, a small dresser.

"Have you read all this?" Donovan asked her.

"What?" She looked at the jumble of papers. "Oh that. Yeah. It's very interesting. Their evolutionary path was remarkably different then ours." She sat down next to him, reaching out to pick up a brush. With, Donovan noted, the brush in her right hand. Whatever had happened between her and Tyler up in the loft had obviously done her a lot of good. While she did still occasionally use her left hand, she no longer fretted about it. Just switched hands and continued with what she was doing. "Did you notice how each race seems to have its own niche? The Elves leave in the forest, _Treeans_ in the jungles. Dwarves inside mountains and Avians on mountain tops. Giants in the Arctic._Myr_ on top of the oceans and _Selkies_ under them. And the _Rov'r_ tend to stick to the plains though they seem to travel more then the other races. I think that's why they've had so few problems with each other."

"So this is all possible? I mean ... fur, tails, scales, wings?"

"I don't see why not. Most of those have appeared as mutations on Earth. If they had prospered rather then died out, or been destroyed, those races could exist here." She absently began to brush out her wet hair. "There's an entire family in, I think in Mexico, where everyone is covered with fur. There's been babies born with tails, scales, pointed ears. And dwarves and giants exist even today. As for the wings, Ham says the Avians' ancestors started out with flaps of skin from wrist to ankle suitable for gliding, like flying squirrels, but the need for proper hands caused them to evolve further into what they look like today. It's fascinating."

Donovan nodded absently, thumbing through the remainder of the sketches. There were the sketches of Pular Singe and Jester the _Kitling_. Behind them were several more sketches. A furry woman with lupine features, a horse-like creature with what appeared to be hard bone covering parts of its body, an intricately designed building with a variety of odd-looking creatures around it, a black-furred _Treean_ crouching on the back of what appeared to be a very large alligator. He paused at one picture, thinking that Tyler had done a self-portrait but then he realized the man in the sketch was older then Tyler. Less hair as well and what he did have, along with his beard, seemed to be graying. The light-haired woman standing in the circle of his arm could only be called petite, barely coming to the man's shoulder. He was dressed in what appeared to be a uniform; she in what Donovan would call buckskin pants and shirt.

"Ham's parents." Julie said.

"That tiny little thing?" Donovan chuckled.

"That tiny little thing runs an entire planet." She grinned at Donovan's expression. "She's what's called the _Prin Nivana_ ... the administrator for the planet _Nivana_." She put the brush away and reached for a hair tie, leaning back against the wall as she tied her hair back in a ponytail.

"You know, I am having a hard time believing all this. I mean, the morning of the raid, Tyler told Polly that there was a species of humanoid cat ... the _Kitlings_ ... that ride Earth dogs. Doesn't that sound a little bit too bizarre?"

Julie reached for the sketches and flipped through them until she found the one she wanted, handing it to Donovan. He stared at the picture of a _Kitling_ with tabby markings sitting astride what appeared to be a dalmatian. "Remember he said some varieties of Earth dogs are in demand in the Confederation? That's why. Apparently the _Kitlings_ needed mounts and some species of Earth dogs are just perfect. Sounds bizarre but in a way it makes sense. You have to remember that it's all alien. We can't expect everything to be like we know here on Earth. That was the major problem with the Visitors. Everything they told us was said to make themselves acceptable to humans. At least Tyler's not trying to do that. I mean, Robert told me that Steven told him the Visitors are monogamous but Willie says they're not. That they can change partners every mating season. Not that they always do. And some of what Tyler's telling us are things that aren't considered acceptable on most parts of Earth. He's not trying to hide it."

"Like what?" Donovan asked with interest, glancing at the master copy.

"Well, they're not monogamous, for one thing. He used his parents as an example. Myra lives on _Nivana_ and doesn't leave the planet but his father is an engineer on an explorer ship, gone for months, sometimes years at a time. He has at least one lover on the ship, she has her own lovers. And not all of either of their lovers are of the opposite sex. Same-sex unions are very common and not the least bit frowned upon. Fontana - he's partnered with Ham's brother; but Chimthat's Ham's brother, is a crew member on a Confederation war ship so they rarely see each other. So Chim has a female partner on _Nivana_ as well as lovers on board ship. And Fontana probably has a lover in every port."

Donovan couldn't help but laugh at that. "Except here."

"Well ..."

Donovan looked at her sharply and she shrugged. "Apparently he and Ham are now sharing more than just a bed. And it started just recently so no, he didn't lie to Robert." She added hastily. "I mean, these are things that would give a lot of people on this planet the heebie-jeebies and cause some of the more conservative people to go ... how did Robert put it? Oh, right. Go totally ape-shit."

Donovan stared at her. "And is that the technical term for it?"

"I think so, yeah." Julie laughed. "But if we continue to associate with the Confederation once the Visitors are taken care of, it's something we will have to deal with. Unlike the Visitors, they will not pretend to be human."

"Tyler has been." Donovan pointed out.

"But that was before we knew that he was alien. Fontana hasn't been. Though apparently he has toned it down to what we consider acceptable behavior. I don't know how much longer that'll last."

Donovan looked down at the sketches thoughtfully. Julie poked at him with a finger. "What are you thinking?" She asked with an impish air.

He smiled slightly, reflecting on how much more relaxed Julie seemed now. "Just that Tyler never struck me as gay. That macho image he puts out all the time ..." He let his voice fade when he realized Julie was looking at him with an air of disappointment.

"You're thinking of him in human standards, Mike, and you can't. The concept of gay as we know it doesn't exist among his people."

Donovan flushed slightly. "I didn't mean it that way ..."

"Then what did you mean?"

Donovan opened his mouth to explain then stopped, suddenly aware that anything he said would sound bad.

"Sleeping with a man does not make Ham any less of a male." Julie said dryly. "He's still very capable of breaking any man in this camp in half without raising a sweat and quite possibly using only one hand. He can still fire a gun, use a knife, plan a raid. He still pisses standing up."

Donovan threw her a shocked look and she grinned.

"Okay, so I'm assuming he pisses standing up. You could tell that better then I could." She picked up the master copy and began to tidy it together. "Ham is sleeping with Fontana for the very simple reason that he's the only _Barbarosian_ around and Ham hasn't had a lover in quite a while and Fontana is willing. End of story. Whether it develops into anything more is their choice."

"You've actually talked to him about that?" Donovan half-sputtered.

Julie blinked, surprised. "Not directly. I've sat in on a couple of his talks with Robert. At one time, he was using his relationship with various people, including Fontana, to explain how relationships work among the _Barbarosians_."

"I'm surprised he'd mention it to Robert."

Julie rolled her eyes. "There you go again, judging him by human standards. Actually, it would have been a bit hard not to guess it, considering that at the time Fontana was sitting on the floor with his head on Ham's thigh and his hand I'm not sure I want to know where." She grinned then held up the master copy. "Are you done with these?"

"Yeah. For now. Why?"

"Because Robert gets nervous when his master copy is roaming around so I thought I'd drop it off. And I want to get back to the saloon. When I left, Ham and Father Andrew were having a spirited discussion concerning religion, with Fontana tossing in a comment now and then. If you should happen to see him suddenly come flying out the window, you'll know why. The only problem will be finding out if it was Ham or Father Andrew ... or quite possibly both ... who tossed him through it."

Still grinning, Julie pulled a baseball cap onto her head and left the room, her arms full and Donovan looking after her with a frown. Pushing the door closed with his foot, he pulled the ads section of the morning paper out from where he'd ... well, not hidden it, just put it away earlier. Like many of the people in the camp, he kept a close eye on what was written in the ads of various papers, watching for any coded messages. The message he'd spotted earlier in the day wasn't in any of their codes but he'd understood the message and he wondered if anyone else had. If anyone had, they hadn't said anything.

_MPD, contact EDD regarding Shaun. URGENT!_

Despite the misspelling of his son's name, Donovan understood the message perfectly.

------------------------------------------

Robert could tell Ham was preoccupied but he didn't know how much so until he'd won his third game in a row. While he had been winning a decent number of games, he'd never won so many at a time.

"Is there something you want to discuss or is it something private?" He finally asked and Ham looked up, startled. He glanced over the board and to Robert's surprise, flushed slightly.

"That obvious, is it?" He said in a toneless voice.

Robert fingered a chess piece, frowning. The girls were already in bed, Chris and Alice were elsewhere and Fontana had vanished totally. That in itself said a lot.

"Are you planning on going back with Fontana?"

The surprise on Ham's face was very real and Robert almost smiled.

"Hadn't even occurred to me." He said honestly.

"But you'd like to."

A muscle twitched in the other man's face. "Yeah, I would." He looked away and Robert stopped short of asking why he didn't, sensing it was not something he was prepared to discuss.

"So if it's not that ... I'd say that it has to do with Robin going with Fontana."

Ham stared at him, obviously shocked. His eyes flicked toward the loft and then narrowed ominously.

"No one said anything. I figured it out." Robert said hurriedly, not wanting to see what would happen if the two _Barbarosians_ ever went at it for real.

The other man sighed. "Have I been that obvious?"

"Not really. I just put the clues together." He let the chess piece dangle from his fingers. "I guess the first question is ... is it possible?"

Ham hesitated then nodded slowly. "Unknown medical situation. The alien factor makes it possible. It's not something that's ever been dealt with on Earth." He hesitated. "The line's fuzzy but I think it'll work."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then I'll pay for it." Ham said bluntly.

Robert stared at him. "Why you?"

"I've taken responsibility for it."

Robert still couldn't quite grasp the _Barbarosian_ concept of _taking responsibility_ but he did understand enough to know that if what Ham was planning didn't work, he would be paying for it for a very long time. The phrase '_spend the rest of his life dead and tortured_' sprang into mind for some reason; with the events in that exact order. Which meant he'd been listening to Fontana for far too long.

Ham ground out the cigarette he'd just smoked down to the filter and dug out a fresh one. His third one, Robert realized, of the night. That alone said a lot about the other man's mental state. "Fontana's ship can carry three passengers, maybe four." He continued. "Robin's been taking care of her sisters so it's possible, if you want, they can go with her."

"How long have you been planning this?"

"I got the idea when we were on our way to meet with Fontana. A lot depended on him. On whether he was willing to do it."

"And that's why you're claiming responsibility. So he'll do it."

Ham didn't answer but then Robert hadn't expected an answer.

"So where would they end up?'

"_Nivana_." He said without hesitation. "The majority of my family speaks English, even if they've never come to Earth. It's also pretty close to the center of the Confederation so it's safe. Not even Diana's insane enough to go up against the Confederation, no matter what she may think of us." He paused suddenly, looking at Robert thoughtfully. "Why do I have the feeling that you've been considering this long before you figured out what I was thinking?"

Robert's lips twitched. "I was kinda wondering if it would be possible. I mean, your people have to be better equipped for this than we are."

Ham stared at him for a long moment then chuckled. "And I was worried how you would react."

"A couple months ago, I probably would have reacted differently."

Robert was surprised to see Ham shift uncomfortably. "I didn't exactly plan all of this. I mean ..." He gestured helplessly.

"I know." He moved to checkmate, grinning at Ham's startled expression. "One question though. Are Lady and Monster really on _Rathorn_?"

Ham looked embarrassed. "They will be by the time the girls get there." He mumbled and Robert laughed.

"What?" Fontana's voice demanded from on top of the RV.

"You're supposed to be hunting." Ham said.

"I was." Fontana dropped down from the RV and sat down on the ground next to Ham, cheek resting on the other's thigh.

Ham smiled, absently reaching down to lightly touch Fontana's hair. "He figured out what I was planning."

"I could have told you he would."

Ham gave him an exasperated look. "Want me to chase you up into the loft and toss you out the doors again?"

"The first part sounds fun. Can we forgo the second part?"

Ham growled softly, a startling sound to someone who hadn't heard it before. Robert just smiled. He'd been around the two men to know when they were really fighting versus play fighting. He'd also noticed that their relationship had changed ... it would have been impossible for him not to, even though they did act totally different outside of the stable. He felt oddly honored that the duo trusted him enough not to hide it. He'd also discovered the startling fact that _Barbarosians_ could purr.

He could hear it now, Fontana's response to Ham's touch. Ham had told him that it was a sound they made when they were contented or happy. Years of training and experience helped keep him from making the sometimes involuntary response but Fontana had no such training.

"Fontana." Ham chided and Robert realized that Fontana was settling more comfortably against the other man. "Others could come in."

Fontana threw him a peevish look but straightened, moving to lean back against the RV.

"If you have any questions, just ask them." Ham said to Robert. "I'll do my best to answer them."

"I probably will later." He glanced at his watch. "It's almost curfew. Maybe we should pack it up."

"Not a bad idea." Ham glanced at Fontana, who was staring thoughtfully in the distance, giving the impression he was thinking up some mischief. "Someone is getting cranky and needs to get to bed."

"I don't think cranky's the right word." Robert said, totally deadpan. Fontana laughed and Ham gave them both sharp looks.

"You behave!" He snapped at Fontana then he glared at Robert. "And you, don't encourage him! I have a hard enough time keeping him under control as it is."

Fontana said something in what Robert recognized as the _Barbarosian_ language and Ham flushed, throwing his lover an exasperated look. Robert didn't need to understand the language to guess at what Fontana had said. Grinning, he rose, absently brushing off his jeans. "Do the Visitors know any of the Confederation languages?" He asked suddenly.

Ham looked at him in surprise. "Maybe the trade language but I doubt any of the others. Why?"

"Because it occurs to me that having us able to speak a language they can't understand would be a big help. They seem to know all the Earth languages. Do you think we could learn one?"

"Maybe." Ham frowned thoughtfully. "We do have certain languages that they couldn't possibly know. Let me think it out. We can talk about it tomorrow."

"Right. Then I'll see you two tomorrow." Robert walked from the stable and toward the trailer-dorms.

Ham watched him, shaking his head slightly. He'd had his doubts when Chris had first set up these talks with Robert but now he was glad he'd gone through with them. Not only was it helping him settle into himself but it seemed to be easing most of the tensions in the camp concerning their presence here. Granted some people avoided him and Fontana, and others were openly hostile - more about their relationship then their alien origins, he'd been amused to realize - but most were accepting of them. He hadn't been surprised to find the children avidly curious about him and his claws, asking questions he wouldn't accept from an adult. And if some of the parents called their children sharply away from him, that was their loss and he ignored it. He'd even overheard one parent admonishing Robert for letting his girls anywhere near him and he had grinned at Robert's sharp reply.

"There's no place safer on this planet for my girls then to be with Ham." He'd said with utter conviction in his voice. "He'd die before he'd let anything happened to them."

A clawed finger poked at him. "And what are you having deep thoughts about?" Fontana asked. He was now crouched next to him, a teasing gleam in his eye.

"Friends. And friendship."

Fontana arched an eyebrow. Like Ham, he'd noticed the shift in feelings towards them. "They like you better as yourself." He said simply and the other man nodded.

"Ham Tyler can be a bit of a hard ass ... don't say it!" He barked out, suddenly realizing his wording wasn't the best where Fontana was concerned but the other man was laughing too hard to say anything. Ham felt himself flush and he scowled. Years of being totally in control and now this! "Oh for Trinity sake ... get up in the loft!"

Still laughing, Fontana made his way to the ladder and climbed up it. After a moment, Ham followed, muttering under his breath.

------------------------------------------

It was still very early the next morning when Robert walked into the saloon and the building was pretty empty. Linda McReady was there, using table space to spread out her communications equipment to work on it. Some of the equipment was obviously Visitor in origin and he paused to watch her try to put the pieces of one odd-looking component back together.

"I used to be pretty good at jigsaw puzzles." She grumbled.

"I suppose it doesn't help that someone's used it for target practice." Robert said, referring to the scorch mark on the side of one piece of equipment.

"Yeah, there is that."

Robert hesitated. "Have you asked Ham?" He gestured at the equipment.

"Yeah, I did but this stuff is nothing like his people's. Which made him wonder who they had stolen it from. Apparently he doesn't have a very high regard for Visitor intelligence." She said matter-of-factly. "However the Visitor language is a lot like another species' language and he's been a big help translating what's what." For the first time, Robert realized that there were strips of masking tape with English translations covering any Visitor words. "If we could get our hands on some manuals, he could translate them for us. That would be a major help."

"Great." He said relieved and Linda threw him a wry grin. While many of the people at the base accepted Ham and Fontana, or at least tolerated them, there were some people who were stridently vocal against letting the aliens take such an active role in resistance affairs. He was glad Linda wasn't one of them.

"Have you seen Julie?"

"Back in the office." Linda gestured over her shoulder.

Robert grinned at the thought of referring to the tiny back room as an 'office'. It was more a place to keep important documents and to have private discussions. As long as you didn't raise your voice, that is. He walked behind the bar and into the back area, knocking lightly on the door.

------------------------------------------

Donovan crinkled the newspaper ad absently in his pocket, watching Julie as she tried to work out how to fatten up their shrinking supply of propane fuel, needed for the running of the numerous generators powering the important parts of the base. They didn't dare try to run electricity out to the town, especially after another resistance group had been discovered and destroyed because they had tapped into nearby electricity lines.

"Too bad Tyler doesn't know some method from his people to get us power." Donovan finally said, only half-kidding.

"That would be helpful but I suspect any such method would fail under 'can't be created on Earth so can't be shared'. Even if he knew such a method. Which he probably doesn't, being a warrior rather then an engineer." Julie said absently then sighed. "We're going to have to turn off some of the generators and regulate their usage better. We keep the generators for the kitchen, laundry, bath, communications, and research areas active but all the others get shut off. We keep the one for the infirmary full and ready but won't use it unless needed. Otherwise it's back to candles and flashlights."

She set down her pen and stretched. "We've actually gotten a bit spoiled. I mean, washers and dryers here rather then risking laundromats. Hot showers. Actual flushing toilets rather then porta-potties. For morale's sake, I'm going to try and keep those things running. But everything else ..." She fell silent, frowning.

Donovan shifted, frowning as well. He wanted to talk to Julie about the message in the ad but she was so preoccupied. Maybe he should wait until after he met with his mother and knew what was going on before ...

The light knock on the door interrupted both their thoughts and they looked at the door in mixed degrees of trepidation.

"Come in." Julie called out and the door opened. Robert stepped in, looking first at Julie and then Donovan then back at Julie.

"Can I talk to you for a few minutes? Privately?"

"Sure. Come in." She gestured toward a chair. "What's up?'

"Well, something I wanted to discuss with you." Robert directed his words at Julie, a part of him wishing Donovan wasn't here. It would be so much easier if it was just Julie. "It's something I'd prefer stayed among us. It's not resistance business."

"Sure, no problem."

Robert hesitated, wondering how best to phrase this. He had a good idea of how Donovan was going to react and decided bluntness was the way to go. "Ham and I have been talking about the possibility of Robin and the girls going back with Fontana."

"You're kidding." Donovan straightened.

"Apparently Robin qualifies for medical reasons and the girls ... she takes care of them so he thinks that might work." Robert kept his eyes on Julie, who was looking thoughtful. "It's more complicated then that but that's the gist of it."

"You're not actually considering it, are you?" Donovan asked, obviously appalled.

"Yes, I am. I mean, no one on Earth has any experience with half-alien pregnancies. They've got to be better equipped for it then we are."

"She's due in a little over a month ..." Julie started.

"I know. Ham says there's a way to get back to the Confederation quick enough. He didn't explain what it was. I didn't ask."

"Why not the rest of the kids?" Donovan asked sharply.

"Fontana's ship can only take three, maybe four passengers. And apparently they can only do this once."

"Why?" Donovan demanded.

"I don't know. I didn't ask. I don't think he wants to reveal it unless absolutely necessary." Robert looked at Julie. "I need to discuss this with the girls. They may not want to do it, which makes all this a moot point."

Julie nodded her head slowly and Donovan looked at her in surprise. "You can't honestly think this is a good idea?"

"Robert's right. Ham's people have to be better equipped to deal with Robin's pregnancy then we are. If you agree, Robert, and the girls agree and Fontana agrees, I don't see a problem. I'll get all her medical records together, just in case."

"Wait a minute!" Donovan said sharply. "This is Tyler we're talking ..."

"Yeah. That's why I'm considering it." Robert interrupted firmly. "You may not trust him but I do. And the girls do. And that's what matters. Now I'd really prefer that this not get around the camp. It's a personal matter. I just thought you should know about it." He rose. "I'll be talking to the girls later. Fontana's leaving in a few days, that'll give us a chance to decide. And Mike." He looked at the other man. "I'd also prefer it if you didn't go to Ham about this. It's none of your concern and I don't want you rocking the boat." He opened the door and slipped out, leaving Donovan staring slack-jawed after him and Julie smiling slightly.

Donovan started to his feet but Julie grabbed him and yanked him back down.

"No." She said firmly. "You are not going to confront Tyler. Robert's right. It really isn't any of our concern."

"Julie, I don't know why Tyler wants Robin but it can't be for anything good ...!"

"I don't think Tyler wants Robin for any reason. I think he sees a way to help a friend and that's what he's doing, quite possibly at great risk to himself."

"Tyler doesn't have any friends!"

"Yes, he does. He has several, in case you haven't noticed."

Donovan stared at her in disbelief. "Including you?"

"I hope so, yes. Mike, believe it or not, I'm really beginning to like the guy. I didn't when I first met him but now ... he's actually a pretty nice guy when he doesn't have to be a complete hard ass. He's got a sense of humor ... a little odd sometimes but that's not too surprising. And he's got a hell of a lot of patience ... yesterday he spent a good hour showing Polly how to draw a cat's hind leg so she could draw _Kitlings_. Not to mention all the patience he's shown in putting up with the insults and sneers from some of the others here." She said the last bit in disgust. Apparently the confirmation that Ham and Fontana really were lovers had gotten out and the half-hearted jabs of before were turning more harsh and pointed. She suspected Fontana didn't understand most of what was being said and, while she was growing fond of the sometimes exasperating alien, she was glad he was leaving soon before he could begin to understand it.

Unnoticed by Julie, Donovan shifted uncomfortably. He had mentioned what Julie had said yesterday to a couple of people, not considering what the general reaction might be. No, that wasn't true. He'd known how some people would react, he just hadn't cared. Or maybe he did it because he knew how some people would react ... He buried that thought and focused on something else Julie had said.

"I wondered why Tyler was spending so much time with the Maxwell kids. Don't you see? He's been setting this up all along!"

"Maybe. Probably. But it doesn't matter."

"The guy's running a game, Julie. He's up to something. I know him."

"No, I don't think you do. You're judging him by what he was, what you think he was, not what he is. None of which matters. This is between him and Robert and Fontana and the girls. Period. Mike!" Her voice sharpened. "I mean it! I don't want you discussing it with anyone. Not with Ham, not with Robert, not with anyone! Promise me!"

Donovan scowled but finally, reluctantly agreed.

------------------------------------------

Robert found the three girls were he expected them to be, in the stable. Polly and Robin were sitting at a card table, Polly concentrating on drawing a_Kitling_, Robin transcribing even more notes. Katie was curled up in the easy chair, fast asleep.

"Where is everyone?' He asked Robin.

"Alice is out doing a supply run, Chris is on the raid with Elias and the others and Ham and Fontana are checking the perimeter."

Robert nodded. He suspected this was Ham's way of giving him privacy to speak to his kids, since the stable was one of the better places for private conversations. Pulling up a chair, he sat down at the table. "I need to talk to you two about something very important."

The two girls looked up, alarm in their eyes. "Nothing bad." He hastily assured them. "Just an offer that Ham made. He says that Fontana could take you, Robin, back to his people. And Polly and Katie as well. Whether you go or not is your choice."

The two girls looked at him uncertainly.

"Not the others?" Polly asked.

"Well, Fontana's ship is rather small. It can only take a few passengers. Three, maybe four. Now it's up to you two ... Katie's a little too young to decide. Robin, I think that Ham's people are more medically advanced than we are and it might be safer for you there medically. On a whole, if half the stuff Ham's said about his mother are true, you will all definitely be safe from the Visitors."

The girls giggled. Hams' stories about his mother were almost as popular as his stories from his days as a cadet. Polly sobered first.

"You don't think there's any bad reasons he wants us to go, do you?" She asked.

"No. I don't think so. I think he sees a chance to get Robin better medical help and is taking it."

"Some of the others say bad things about him." Polly pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. But what do you think about Ham?"

"He used to scare me but he doesn't anymore. I like him. I just wish some people would stop being mean to him. And Fontana."

"Yeah. So do I."

"I think there's another reason he's setting this up." Robin said suddenly and Robert looked at her in surprise. She was idly poking at the piece of paper in front of her, her face thoughtful. "You know how he keeps trying to tell us things without actually coming out and saying them?"

Robert nodded. It was a sometimes irritating situation but he'd come to understand that there were some things Ham couldn't just come out and tell them but if they guessed at them, he could confirm it.

"Well, I think he's doing that now. He said the ship can carry three, maybe four people, right? Why did he phrase it that way?"

Robert blinked then began to grin. "To call our attention to it." He said slowly.

"Right. Well, remember when you were discussing family units? He said that if I was _Barbarosian_, I'd be considered an adult but here, on Earth, I'm a minor. I couldn't go off-world without an adult guardian with me. He stressed that."

"Yes, he did. And Fontana's a different species so he doesn't qualify. So that would mean ..."

"That if I went off-world, someone would have to come with me. Someone adult." Robin looked at her father and smiled. "Someone who could plead Earth's case to the Confederation."

------------------------------------------

It was almost midnight when Donovan reached the area of Griffith Park he'd directed his mother to meet him in. He could see her, by the small fountain, pacing back and forth anxiously. He made a quick survey of the area, finally convincing himself that there were no troopers laying in wait. In fact, there was no one, not even a driver for the car. Just his mother and Donovan felt his worry deepen. Whatever this was, it was very real.

He stepped quietly from the shadows. "Mother."

"Michael!" She moved to him but made no gesture of welcome. Her eyes were anxious and her worry, Donovan realized, very real.

"What's happen? What about Sean?" He asked curtly.

"Diana has him. He hasn't been harmed." She dug into the purse she carried, pulling out a photo. Donovan took it, lips tightening at the sight of Sean sitting next to Diana. "Diana has offered to return him but ..." She paused.

"But she wants something in return." Donovan said curtly, his stomach churning. He couldn't betray the Resistance but if she was willing to take him in trade for Sean, the Resistance would have time to relocate.

"Yes." Eleanor looked at him earnestly. "But it's something that could help us all, Michael." She paused, obviously trying to frame her words. "The Visitors have discovered that there is another alien species on Earth. One not nearly as benevolent as they are ..." She caught sight of her son's sneer and dropped her Visitor spokesman's persona. "All right, fine. This is what they told me. This other alien species has been infiltrating Earth for years, maybe centuries with the intention of eventually taking the planet over. Why I don't know but they've done it before, to other planets. That's why the Visitors have had to travel so far to Earth for water and food. These other aliens have prevented them from finding them anywhere else!"

"What does this have to do with Sean?"

"One of these aliens is with that resistance group you are with. During that raid on the water plant, it killed a guard in a manner distinctive to its people. Diana wants this creature."

Donovan stared at her, his mind churning. Apparently the Visitors didn't realize they knew about the _Barbarosian_.

"They look human but they're not." Eleanor continued. "They have apparently been passing for human for centuries. One of them is with your group, maybe even helping you in some form or another. God only knows what it really wants."

"You said it looks human? Like the Visitors look human?" Donovan asked slowly.

"No. The only outward difference is that it has claws. That's how it killed the guard. Claws, Michael!" The shudder that shook Eleanor's body was very real. "Diana said that it would wear gloves to hide the claws. The lack of fingernails as well. Is there anyone in the group that always wears gloves?"

_'Not anymore.'_ Donovan thought. "Maybe. I'm not sure. There are a lot of people in the group. But you can't expect me to turn anyone over to the Visitors!"

"This creature isn't human!"

"Neither are the Visitors, Mother!"

"But they are the ones who have Sean!"

"But the Visitors are our friends. Remember, Mother?" Donovan said mockingly.

Eleanor stared at him, lips compressed. "They won't kill him, Michael. I've gotten Diana to promise that. But we will never see him again. They will send him back to their home world, for what purpose I can't guess at. Michael." She stepped closer. "I don't know what these other aliens want here but I believe Diana when she says that they are the reason they've had to come this far for water. There are so many planets out there! Why else would the Visitors travel so far for something so abundant throughout the universe?"

Donovan frowned. That had been one of the many questions posed by the scientists in their group.

"These other aliens have driven the Visitors to desperate measures to survive. And now they are on Earth. Have been for centuries. Infiltrating us for some reason. According to Diana, they are more animal then sentient. They hunt, kill with their claws, eat the meat raw ...!"

"The Visitors eat their food still alive." Donovan pointed out sharply and Eleanor looked at him.

"You might remember that when you think of your son." She said quietly and Donovan realized that Eleanor knew full well Diana wouldn't keep her word. "We know how to deal with the Visitors. Whatever these new aliens are, they are an unknown factor. They want Earth for their own purposes and who is to say that purpose isn't even worse then the Visitors' intentions? How long before the alien in your group starts taking over? Maybe it wants something your group has?"

_'Robin!'_ Donovan thought suddenly and his eyes narrowed. Eleanor noticed and felt a surge of triumph.

"Diana wants to trade Sean for this alien. Find out who it is and we can make a plan to exchange it for your son."

Donovan stared at her but what he was seeing was what had been left of Tony when Diana had gotten through with him. Of Sancho when he'd rescued him from that viper pit the LA mothership was. He shook his head slowly.

"I can't. I've seen what the Visitors can do. I can't give someone over to them to be tortured ..."

"Michael! This isn't one of your comrade-in-arms or whatever you call them! This is a creature sent to this planet for purposes we can't begin to guess at! Deliberately hiding in your group, doing God knows what! Has it stepped forward and told you it's alien, offered it's people's help?"

Donovan didn't answer, remembering that they had found out about Tyler's alien origins by accident. If not for the grenade, would they have ever found out? Or would Tyler have continued to hide among them, doing whatever it was he had been doing before? And Tyler wasn't actually offering his people's help, just breadcrumbs of equipment and weapons as well as lame excuses and reasons for not providing more help. Not to mention that fact that he still hadn't told them what he was doing on Earth in the first place. What any of his people were doing here.

"I need to think on this."

Eleanor nodded. "Tomorrow night. Come out to the house." Seeing the look of alarm in her son's face, Eleanor smiled slightly. "Believe it or not, Michael, Diana wants this creature far more then she wants you. Or the Resistance. The sooner we can set up this trade, the sooner we can get Sean back."

"Maybe." Donovan started back into the shadows. "Tomorrow night then."

It was almost two o'clock in the morning when he arrived back at the base, having taking a circular route to make sure he wasn't followed. The base was dark and he made his way past the sentries with a murmured password and a curt nod. At one end of the trailer-dorms he paused, glancing up at the lantern lighting the entryway with a frown. The light was flickering, obviously in need of fresh batteries.

Catching a glimpse of movement, he looked up into the loft. Dimly he could see two figures there, sitting close together, heads almost touching as they talked in low tones. Ever since that talk in the north field before the raid, the two men had made it a point to follow curfew, even though they slept much less then the humans in the camp. What they did instead Donovan didn't even want to guess at though there were times Tyler had asked Julie for permission to go night hunting, to trim down the wild dog packs or for fresh meat. She had granted permission each time.

Fontana reached up to touch Tyler lightly on the face, smiling as he drew claws gently through the other's beard. Tyler laughed, a surprisingly pleasant sound, catching Fontana's hand in his own, speaking to him almost scoldingly.

"I'm seriously thinking of setting up a water hose right about here, just so I can spray those two down with cold water every now and then." Caleb said from behind Donovan and he jumped, turning to see the older man standing behind him, a rifle propped on his hip. "Sorry. Thought you heard me."

"No, I didn't." He glanced up at the loft, surprised to see the two men were gone. "Are they always like that?"

Caleb shrugged. "Depends on who's out here. If it's someone that isn't offended by their relationship, they tend to be more open. Otherwise they go back out of sight."

Donovan glanced at the other sentry standing at the far end of the dirt street. Sancho.

"And it doesn't bother either of you?"

Caleb snorted. "We are in a battle for our lives and our planet against a bunch of damn alien lizards." He shook his head. "As long as what they're doing is between consenting adults in the privacy of their own quarters, I don't give a damn. We got worse things to worry about then who's sleeping with whom." He glanced up as the lantern flickered out. "Damn." Slinging the rifle over his shoulder, he dug into a pocket for some batteries and reached for the lantern. "You better get some sleep."

"Yeah. Night." Donovan glanced up at the loft one last time before climbing into the trailer.

------------------------------------------

Donovan spent a restless night, finally falling asleep just as the base had begun to stir. When he finally woke a couple hours later, it was with a splitting headache. Julie was already gone and he dug into their supply of aspirin, taking three before getting dressed. He wanted to talk to her. No, he_ needed_ to talk to her. He climbed down from the trailer, intending to find her but he caught sight of movement in the stable and, almost against his will, went there instead, pausing outside the doors.

Of the four current occupants of the stable, only Tyler was visible. The_Barbarosian_ was sitting at one of the long tables, working intently on something. He had his bare feet hooked around the legs of the stool and Donovan could see the tips of the claws there. He felt his skin crawl, thinking about what those claws could do and had done.

"Something up, Gooder?" Tyler said and the other man jumped before realizing that he'd probably smelled him standing nearby. Or maybe heard him enter. Or something.

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Tyler of his meeting with Eleanor but what came out was a weak "No. Not really." Tyler threw him an odd unreadable look then turned back to what he was working on. Donovan stepped closer to look over his shoulder.

"Knives?"

"Throwing knives. Sancho has a knack with them so I thought I'd make a proper set for him." Tyler said, setting the one he'd been working on to one side and picking up another, sharpening it with smooth, quick motions.

"Awful small, aren't they?"

"They're made for throwing, not hand-to-hand fighting. They're based on a design created by an old friend. Cockney gentleman, name of Willie Garvin. Though I've left out the fillet of brass."

Donovan blinked, completely lost. Tyler grinned then his eyes slid past him.

"Elias. Everything set up?"

"Perfectly." Elias nodded at Donovan as he approached. "Tomorrow. One o'clock."

"Good. You're leading the raid. You know the plan?"

"Yeah."

"Select a half-dozen people ... you know who'll you'll need. Run them through it today, head out tomorrow. And be careful!"

"Yeah. Sure. Later."

"If you see Sancho, send him over here!"

"Right!"

"What was that about?" Donovan asked.

"Supply raid." Tyler replied absently. "Elias has a contact that's willing to help us with supplies but can't afford to lose the money so we're setting it up to hijack the truck and blame it on a smuggling ring. We get the supplies; he gets the insurance, everybody happy."

A muscle twitched in Donovan's cheek. "Does Julie know about this?" He asked curtly.

Tyler looked at him, surprised. "Of course Parrish knows. We went through everything last night."

"Hey, Ham. Mike." Sancho appeared in the doorway. "You wanted me?"

"Yeah. I got some throwing knives for you. Small but deadly. Here, you can try them out on the target over there. If they work for you, let me know. I can make up more. Now if you two will excuse me, I gotta go talk with Father Andrew."

Donovan stared after the other man for a long moment until the sound of a knife sinking into wood caught his attention.

"Not bad." Sancho said, hefting the other knife with an air of satisfaction. "Take a little getting used to but ..." He flipped the second knife after the first, hitting the Visitor on the 'Visitors are Our Friends' poster squarely in the other eye.

"Sancho, what's your opinion of Tyler?" Donovan asked suddenly.

Sancho threw him a surprised look. "My opinion?" He shrugged, walking over to pull the knives free. "I like him a whole lot better now then when he first came into the group, that's for sure. Now that he doesn't have to make like the ultimate balls buster, he's an okay dude." He set himself and sent a knife flying across the room. "He sure knows his business. That raid next month ..."

"What raid?" Donovan asked, startled.

"Food processing plant in Playa Del Mar. The Resistance there got all shot up and they haven't had a chance to reform so they asked us for help. Ham figures maybe the Visitors wouldn't expect an attack on the plant from an outside group." Sancho retrieved the knives. "I gotta go meet with Elias and the others. Later, Mike."

Donovan stared after the man, disturbed at how much was going on that he didn't know about. He glanced around the stable, debating whether he should do some exploring while he had a chance.

A scrape of claw against metal jerked his head upwards to see Fontana sitting cross-legged on the top of the RV, watching him with hooded eyes. Donovan hesitated then nodded curtly before turning and leaving the building.

------------------------------------------

Stepping out into the main street of the camp, Donovan looked around. The sky was clouding up a little, not surprising with rain in the immediate forecast. He could see Tyler sitting on a step nearby, several of the camp's children around him. He was showing them something in a sketchbook, explaining it with quick gestures of his hand. Father Andrew was nearby, talking with Robert, stopping occasionally to listen to what Tyler was saying.

Donovan walked over to the saloon. Julie was sitting at the bar, going over a number of documents, making quick notes on the papers. She looked up at his approach, smiling.

"Hi. What's up?"

"That's what I was wondering. Why didn't you tell me about these raids?"

Her smile faded and her voice turned curt. "Probably because you weren't here. By the time you got back last night, I was already asleep."

Donovan hoped he wasn't flushing. "I was checking with some of my media contacts." He answered just as curtly then he forced himself to relax and smile. "I was just surprised to find out that two raids had been planned in such a short period of time."

"We're on a time crunch for the supply raid; it had to be set up within twenty-four hours. As for the food processing plant, Ham wants to hit it just when most of the work is done but before it goes into operation. That would cost the Visitors big. Mid-next month should be the opportune time."

A crash of thunder split the air and the couple jumped, turning to look at the sudden deluge outside. Seconds later, the doors swung open, hard enough to hit the walls, and Tyler came in, snarling alien words as he shook his hair free of water. He headed for the coffee pot, grabbing a mug along the way, still grumbling.

"I have a suspicion that those are words we don't want to repeat in polite company." Julie smiled.

"Not if the company in question can understand _Prih'enshi_, you don't." Tyler grunted, filling the mug. He glanced inquiringly at the couple but they both shook their heads and he replaced the pot. "I don't even know what half the words are. After Pular Singe recovered from my biting her tail and her actually getting across the suspension bridge, she spent several minutes screaming them at me and I'm pretty sure what she was screaming wasn't very nice."

Julie blinked. "I'm sure there's a story behind that statement but I don't think I want to know what it is."

"Smart." He walked around the bar to look at the papers Julie had been going over. "Something wrong?"

"These numbers seem awful high."

Tyler turned a sheet to look at it and grunted. "They are." He picked up a pencil and made notations in surprisingly neat handwriting. Donovan found himself staring at the _Barbarosian_'s nailless fingers and at the claws there and tore his eyes away. "Durelle hates Visitors as much as any of us but sometimes he gets greedy. Chris is doing this weapons exchange, right?"

"You said he'd be the best person for it."

Tyler nodded. "He looks like one of them. Bad-ass biker-type. Here. This should be the final amount. Less if possible but no more. It's gouging us a little but Durelle's people are the ones taking the major risk so I think we may just want to grit our teeth and go with it. We should be able to offset the actual monetary cost by offloading any extra weapons and ammo. They're hurting for Teflon bullets and power cells. Johnny's sending more weapons and ammo with Dorothea when she comes around to get Fontana so we should be able to spare some."

"Dorothea?" Donovan asked.

"Fontana's ship. She should be on her way in the next couple of days."

"Won't the Visitors spot it?"

Tyler grinned. "Nope. No way, no how. She may act dippy at times but Doro's as smart as they come." He looked at Julie. "When's this meet taking place?"

"Couple of weeks. Durelle's waffling about setting an exact time."

"Give him a couple more days. If he hasn't confirmed by then, I'll dig him up and dance on his head. We need those explosives before the attack on the food processing plant." He took a drink of coffee and grimaced. "This stuff is getting worse."

"Complain to the person doing the shopping."

Tyler looked uncomfortable. "I can't. She scares me."

Julie looked at him in surprise.

"Hey, she's got Chris backing her up now and he knows all my secrets."

"I'll have to remember that."

Tyler threw her a dirty look. "Paul and Elias are working at getting a load of citrus for Fontana to take back as well. Which he can do if he takes the shortcut. Once we've offloaded what Johnny's sending, there'll be room."

Julie grinned. "Oranges?" She said with an impish air and Tyler chuckled.

Donovan gritted his teeth, wondering what the private joke was. "Shortcut?" He asked curtly.

Tyler hesitated. He didn't want to reveal the shortcut unless it was going to be used but he was fairly certain the Maxwells were going to take him up on his offer. Now, he guessed, was as good as time as any. "The Confederation has a method of getting from one place to another quickly in space. Wormholes can be used but where they're not available, we set up what we call jauntways. Sorta like doorways that let us go from one place ... like Earth ... to another ... like_Nivana_ ... in minutes or days rather then the months or even years it would normally take. There's a jauntway located very close by. It hasn't been used in years, not since Earth's developed the ability to detect its use." He noticed the inquiring look on Julie's face. "A jauntway creates an energy surge. Nowadays, a jauntway much further away is used to get to Earth. That's the one Fontana used coming here. But the other one's still usable and Fontana can use it to get Robin back to the Confederation very quickly. Maybe three days. But the Visitors will detect it and so Fontana's going to have to collapse it behind him."

"Wouldn't it be handier just to keep it and use it for something major?" Donovan asked.

Tyler shook his head. "Can't use it coming in. The Visitors would detect it and have a major welcoming committee waiting. Now leaving, Fontana can activate it and have it ready so he can go straight through it then collapse it before the Visitors arrive. The Visitors will know there was an energy surge but probably not what it was. Frankly I can't think of a better reason to use it." He looked out at the pouring rain with a long suffering look. "Doesn't look like it's going to let up soon. Might as well make a dash for the stable."

"How's Fontana handling it?" There was genuine sympathy in Julie's voice.

"He wants to get back into space. It doesn't rain in space." He rinsed out the mug and set it in the drainer to dry before heading for the door. "Later."

"Later." Julie called after him. Donovan just looked after him for a long moment.

"What was all that about?" He finally asked.

"What about?"

"Oranges?" Donovan gestured.

"Oh. Well, apparently oranges can't grow on other worlds. Or rather they grow but they're not edible. Ham used them to explain something. Get anything from your media contacts?"

"What? Oh. No. Nothing new. I'm meeting up with someone else tonight. Anything from Robert?"

"Nothing definite yet. I get the impression that Robin is for it, Diana really scares her, and Polly is very excited about the thought but they are hampered by the fact that their dad wouldn't be going with them."

"Why not?"

"Well, Robert's needed here and he knows it and he wants to stay and fight. Besides, this gives us a chance to send someone to the Confederation to argue our case."

"What?"

"Robin figured it out, believe it or not. See, there seems to be some things Ham just can't come right out and say but he hints at and if we guess right, he can confirm it. Remember Caleb figured out that, while he can't ask for help, we can ..."

"But, of course, we don't have any way to ask for help." Donovan didn't bother to hide his scorn.

"But we do now. By our standards, all the girls are minors. An adult guardian would have to go with them. For various reasons, Fontana doesn't qualify ..."

"As an adult or as a guardian?" Donovan grinned.

That brought a laugh from Julie. "Both, I think but actually it has to do with him being a different species. So, we choose someone who can explain our situation to the Confederation and maybe get help. Robert knows he's not qualified for that."

Donovan studied her for a moment. "Have you thought about going?"

Julie looked up surprised.

"If Tyler's telling the truth, you'd be safe there."

"But I'm not the person to try to convince the Confederation to help us. Besides, I'm needed here. We're thinking Father Andrew. The girls like and trust him and he is a powerful speaker. Robert ran it past Ham and even he agrees ... as long as Father Andrew keeps talk about religion to a minimum. Apparently some of Ham's people have some serious issues with the Roman Catholic church."

Donovan watched her as she shuffled through the papers. "You don't think there's a more sinister reason Tyler wants Robin sent to his people?"

Julie looked up, surprised. "Like what? Frankly I can't think of any reason they'd want any of our people, especially three minor females."

"The baby maybe?"

"Again, like what?"

Donovan didn't have an answer for that and he fell silent. There had to be a reason Tyler wanted Robin ... he just couldn't think of it right now.

"Wanna help me go over these figures?" Julie asked. "I need someone to double-check me."

"Yeah, sure." He slid onto a bar stool. "Maybe by the time we're done, the rain will have stopped." He grinned at her and she smiled back.

------------------------------------------

Ham paused just inside the stable doors, shaking his hair free of water. Chris and Alice weren't anywhere in sight and he didn't think they were in the RV. Maybe they were still in the lounge. Grabbing a couple of worn towels, he slung them over his shoulder and climbed up into the loft. Fontana was back in the little room, idly pleating and re-pleating a section of the quilt, staring thoughtfully into the distance. Ham let the towels drop and stripped off his shirt, setting it to one side to dry before sinking cross-legged to the floor.

"Hem'sha'ree ..."

"_Something bad is going to happen._" The man said abruptly and Ham felt a chill. While Fontana's family wasn't known for precognitive abilities, it wasn't totally unknown. "_I can feel it. The tensions ..._"

Ham sighed in relief. "_Humans can be stupid about sex. I told you they don't approve of same-sex relationships._"

"_It's not that. It's not just that. There are other things._" He let the quilt slip from his fingers and looked at his lover. "_Why does Donovan hate you?_"

Ham hesitated then tried to explain. "_Because over the years he has concentrated on seeing only the bad things I've done. What he thinks are bad things. He never looked at the bad things those he considered the good guys did. Or at any of the good things I did._" Fontana was looking confused and Ham gave up trying to explain. "_It's not important. Not any more. Whether he likes it or not, we're on the same side now._"

"_He doesn't like it. I think he wants you to leave._"

A muscle in Ham's cheek twitched. "_He's out of luck there. I stay until I'm no longer needed or until Julie tells me to leave._"

"_Why?_" Fontana asked. "_Why not just come home? Many of these humans don't want you here._"

"_But many do._" He said gently. "_And they're the ones who matter._" He hesitated. "_My grandfather tried to explain it once, the fascination of living on Earth, among the humans ..._"

"Chim_ said he didn't do a very good job of it._"

"_Yes, he did. I didn't understand it at the time and _Chim_ still doesn't understand it because he's never been here for any length of time._" He met Fontana's eyes and his lips twitched. "_But you do._" He said softly and Fontana looked away but not before Ham saw the confirmation in his eyes.

"_Do you think,_" Fontana asked, resignation in his voice. "_She will ever love you?_"

Ham jerked back, startled then dropped his eyes, looking down at his hands and reflecting that it was close to impossible to hide anything from one of his own people, not to mention that he was badly out of practice. Humans were so much easier to fool. "_Perhaps. Some day_" Or perhaps not, the more practical side of himself said. He doubted an alien lover was in anyone's plans.

Clawed hands closed gently over his own. "_But you love her._" It wasn't a question and Ham closed his eyes, wishing ... wishing for what he didn't know. He didn't resist as Fontana pulled him into a gentle embrace and tugged the quilt around the both of them, holding him close as they listened to the rain hitting wood and tarp above them.

------------------------------------------

Almost midnight. This, Donovan reflected, was turning into a habit. He slipped onto the grounds then to the Dupres mansion. No Visitors but then fear of what they may do kept his mother and her home safe. He went in through the kitchen, moving quietly through the empty rooms until he reached the large sitting room. His mother was there, sitting on a couch, hands folded, staring at a picture of Sean sitting on the nearby piano.

Seeing the expression on his mother's face, Donovan paused. Her social mask was gone and all he saw was a grandmother's worry. After a moment, he stepped into the room and into her line of sight.

The familiar mask slipped back into place as Eleanor rose. "Well?" She asked curtly.

Donovan didn't answer, just looked around cautiously.

"There's no one else here, Michael." She stepped closer, her eyes anxious. "Did you figure out who the alien is?"

Donovan hesitated then nodded slightly. "Yeah. I think so."

Relief appeared in his mother's eyes. "Excellent! Can you get it out to the old Dupres warehouse? You know the one, down by that abandoned pier."

"Wait a minute, mother. I still don't like this. You're asking me to hand a living being over to the Visitors! Alien or not, he doesn't deserve that!"

"Michael! This is our only chance to get Sean back! The only chance Diana's going to give us! If you don't do this, we will lose him forever!" She paused, taking a deep breath and Donovan was surprised to see a gleam of tears in her eyes. "The Visitors are sending several of their ships back to their home world in five days. If this trade isn't made, Diana is going to make sure Sean is on one of those ships!"

Donovan stared at her, sick with horror. He had no doubt Diana would do it.

"You have to decide, Michael, and right now. They will not make this offer again." There was desperation in her voice and Donovan turned away, pacing angrily before turning to face her.

"Even if I got him there then what? He figures out what's going on and all hell's going to break loose. I know him well enough to know he isn't going to go quietly."

Eleanor picked up an alien device from a nearby table. "Steven gave me this. Here." She held it out. "What's in here will knock the alien out. Immobilize it totally. All you do is ..." She showed him how to work the device. "Apparently the effect won't last long so you have to wait until the last minute to use it. Just get it to that old warehouse I mentioned by 9:00 Sunday morning. That's three days from now, Michael. Diana will come to get it. And she'll have Sean with her."

Donovan stared at the device for a long moment before dropping it into his vest pocket. Without a word, he turned on his heel and started from the room.

"Three days, Michael! Be there!" Eleanor didn't bother to hide the very real desperation in her voice as she watched her son leave the room. She stood there, waiting until finally Steven stepped from his place of concealment in the next room. She turned to him, her features once again cool and composed. "Well, we know one thing." She said to him. At his inquiring look, she smiled slightly. "We know that the alien is male."

Steven smiled. "That will please Diana."

------------------------------------------

Miranda Jamison moved through the butler's pantry, taking her time checking over the linen, china, and silver. A tall, slim dark-skinned woman, she had worked for the Dupres for over thirty years, long before Mrs. Eleanor had married Mr. Arthur and working late hours was very common for her, especially with a party planned for tomorrow night. Was there enough wine, enough makings for appetizers, enough live mice ...

She cut that last thought off sharply. She, like all of the staff here, made it a point not to notice the Visitors' strange eating habits. The only good thing that came from the Visitors being here was that any regrets she had ever had about not having children were long gone. An only child, long orphaned, she had no family members to worry about. But she had friends, many friends and several of those friends were actively helping the resistance in their fight against the Visitors. While she wasn't one to pick up a gun and fight, she was in a perfect position to overhear conversations and get information.

This was her favorite place to eavesdrop, the butler's pantry. No one else knew that there was an unused air vent from the sitting room into the butler's pantry, making all conversations held there clearly audible. When Mrs. Eleanor had the room redecorated after her marriage to Mr. Arthur, the decorators had simply covered the unneeded air vent with wallpaper and a well-placed table. Miranda kept the air vent in the butler's pantry covered and since she was the only one who entered this small room where the expensive linen, china, and silverware was kept, she was the only one who knew about it.

Over the past few months, since the arrival of the Visitors, she had overheard many conversations. Apparently, like many humans, the Visitors tended to see the servant class as mindless drones, unhearing and unseeing, and she had used that to her advantage, gleaning information as she could with the help of other members of the staff and passing it on to friends who were connected to the Resistance.

But this information was explosive. Was Mike really planning on betraying a member of the Resistance, trading him for his son? Granted, she had heard enough conversations between Steven and Eleanor ... and occasionally Diana ... to know that this person was as alien as the Visitors but she found it hard to believe all the bad things the Visitors were contributing to these new aliens. Beside, how did that old saying go? Oh, right. '_The enemy of my enemy is my friend_' and whatever this alien was, he was definitely an enemy of the Visitors. She'd heard the uneasy fear in many of the Visitors' voices when they spoke of these aliens, these _Barbarosians_.

But this was Mike, whom she'd known since he was barely into his teens. And Sean as well, who used to follow her around the house, watching her as she worked. She would sing him songs and let him help her bake cookies.

Maybe it was just a ruse on Mike's part! Yes, that must be it. He could be meaning to tell the alien what was planned. But Miranda remembered the desperation in Mike's voice and her heart sank. Maybe it wasn't a ruse. Maybe he didn't think the alien would help him get his son back. Maybe he just didn't want to take a chance. Maybe, she thought, he really meant to go through with it.

In an agony of indecision, Miranda stepped from the butler's pantry, locking the door securely behind her.

------------------------------------------

It was hours later, after midnight, when Miranda finally started home. Not that that was unusual. Hours were longer these days though pay was higher. Eleanor knew that was the only anyone would stay. Despite her insistence to the contrary, Eleanor knew very well what the Visitors were.

Drawing her coat tighter around her, Miranda made her way down the sidewalk, strolling briskly toward the Bernstein house. She wasn't surprised to see lights in the kitchen; Lynn had trouble sleeping these days and she often stayed up very late. Before the Visitors came, Miranda never would have thought to stop by any house in this neighborhood. Now she did so without a second thought.

A light rap on the door brought Lynn to open it. There was genuine pleasure in her smile, despite the fact that she knew Miranda was probably bringing dangerous information.

An hour later, after the tea Lynn made and the scones Miranda had brought from the Dupres house, she left, leaving Lynn to conceal the short note they had composed between them.


	12. Interlude Nine

**The White Christmas Resistance Group in New York  
Taking place the night Part Nine ends**

Dorothea rolled with the waves then she rolled some more, making her own waves. She loved the water! Next incarnation she was coming back as a ... a cyber-porpoise! That would be fun!

"Doro! Stay still!" Johnny slapped her metal skin sharply. Not that he could actually hurt her. Even so, she began to moan and cry, complaining about being abused.

The humans loading her hold ignored her. Over the past month, they had gotten used to Doro's antics.

"Is she always like this?" Dr. Hannah Donnenfield asked, amused. She hadn't meet Doro before.

"When she's in her little girl mode, she is." Johnny took the clipboard and looked over what was written there. Outwardly he looked like an eleven-year-old boy but in reality he was older then most of the people in the New York Resistance. Like most of his people still on Earth, he had shed the black gloves while among friends but in deference to the rough terrain they were working in, kept his boots on. "When she's in her adult mode, she can be even worse."

"I heard that!" Doro cried out then sniffed, obviously sinking into the_ Ish'kirien_ version of a pout.

"Fontana's fault. He encourages it. Some pilots do. But don't worry. When she absolutely needs to be, she's all business. So this is the rundown of all the activities White Christmas is working on?"

"Yes. Will we be able to get a summary of what they're working on?"

"Probably not on this trip. Fontana wouldn't dare risking another trip back here. But I think Gator is planning something appropriately sneaky that will get us a better communications system." He handed the clipboard back. "That man has been hanging around the _Taz_ way too long."

Hannah didn't bother asking what he meant. Instead, she looked over the ship lolling in the waves off the coast. She wasn't very big, maybe three times the size of a Visitor shuttle and rounded. Not round like the mother ship but more ... Hannah gave up trying to describe Doro. She was beautiful in her own way and graceful and sleek. Her skin was colored in grays and blues, which apparently helped to render her invisible in space. Her eyes, which startled everyone who saw her for the first time, were gray and always looked amused. She had them closed now and was humming cheerfully to herself, previous complaints forgotten.

_'Little girl mode._' She thought in amusement. _'I'm standing on a beach on a world currently occupied by alien reptiles watching a sentient spaceship being loaded full of cargo by a bunch of talking hairless monkeys while speaking to a being whose ancestors ran on all fours and bayed at the moon!_'

Still smiling, she wandered over to the stack of pouches that would go in the cockpit or whatever it was called in Doro's case. Slipping the list, clipboard and all, into the top one, she sealed it shut and picked up a couple, carrying them over to the waiting boat. While Doro was allowing others into her hold to fill it, she would only allow Johnny into her main section. Johnny had managed to convince her to allow Hannah in to help him stow the pouches.

Once all the pouches were in the boat, she and Johnny pushed off, drifting over to where the hatch was. Johnny rapped sharply on it until finally, grudgingly Doro opened it. Johnny jumped in, tying the boat to a protrusion outside then taking the pouches as Hannah handed them over. When the boat was empty, he offered her his hand and helped her into the ship itself.

Hannah wasn't sure what to expect. Maybe a small crowded cockpit like in Earth airplanes or maybe something like a submarine control center. What she didn't expect was a room larger then most New York apartments. It looked, she realized, like a cross between a small apartment and the bridge of Star Trek's Enterprise. Control panels covered the curve of one wall while a small bedroom, living room, and kitchen followed the curve of another wall. A large, comfortable-looking chair was directly in front of the control panels, three smaller chairs were set unevenly behind it. There were, she noted, no loose objects lying around.

Johnny walked over to a panel set in the wall and rapped on it lightly. It slid open and he began to stow the pouches in it, Hannah handing them to him until all were safely packed away.

"Open this only to Hem or Kom, Doro."

"Okay." The voice came from behind Hannah. Startled, she turned to see what appeared to be a humanoid fox woman standing behind her. A red fox woman, she noted, with russet fur, black stockings, a white chin and belly, a white-tipped tail, and startling green eyes.

"Hannah, may I introduce Dorothea. In her adult mode." Johnny caught her startled look and smiled. "She's a hologram."

Hannah blinked, realizing she could see through the fox woman.

"Some ships' computers have actual separate bodies but smuggler ships are too small for large bodies. Some make do with 'mini-mes' ... small sentient extensions of themselves. Others use holograms. Doro, on Earth, it's considered polite to wear clothes. Even if you do have fur."

Doro blinked then what looked like an ancient Roman-style tunic appeared on her. "When should I leave?" Hannah noted that she even sounded older. This, she realized, was the business side of the ship.

"As soon as you're completely loaded. Another couple hours maybe. You know the plan?"

"Go down around the coast to Central America, look for the least populated area, wait for total darkness then hop over it. Get back into the water and head for the rendezvous."

"This is all business now, Doro ..."

"I know, I know. Don't worry. I haven't survived this long by taking unneeded chances." She shook her head hard, like a real fox would to chase away the flies buzzing around its ears. "When I get there, I send out a message to Fontana and he'll meet me after dark."

"You're going to be right under the LA mothership's nose, Doro." Johnny warned.

"I know." A fierce look entered the fox woman's eyes. "Don't forget, my parent was captured by the _phrashi_ a hundred years ago."

Johnny looked startled then chagrined. "I had forgotten. Sorry, Doro."

Doro shrugged. "She survived." She sounded much older now, far from the child she'd been acting.

For some reason, those two simple words sent a chill down Hannah's spine. Johnny took a last look around the room then beckoned her to the door. "Good luck, Doro. And be careful."

"I am always careful. But the luck could help."

"It was nice to meet you, Doro." Hannah said, meaning every word. Doro blinked at her.

"If I hung around longer, you wouldn't be saying that." She gave Hannah an unmistakable wink then a toothy grin. "I suspect we will meet again."

Hannah smiled back before following Johnny out the door and back into the boat. The door closed firmly behind them and together they pulled the boat back to shore. Beaching it, they turned to watch the people loading Doro's hold.

"She survived?" Hannah ventured.

Johnny shrugged. "That's the best any of us can ever hope where the Visitors are concerned. Doro's parent made it back home with her crew more or less intact. A wonder unto itself."

"More or less? Do I want to know what that means?"

"No, you don't." Johnny turned and started toward the road. "There's still some food left, right?"

Hannah sighed. "Yes, there should be." She turned to follow him.

------------------------------------------

With her main room secured, Doro opened the panel to let loose her 'mini-mes'. Reginald popped right out, shaking himself vigorously. He resembled an Earth red fox, a real one, not an anthropomorphic one. He stretched then sat down to scratch at himself.

"What do you think?" His voice was deep, with a cultured English accent. "Do we trust these Earthers?" Like Doro, he hadn't survived this long by taking chances.

Doro flipped her ears back. "I don't see why not. Johnny's vetted these humans completely. He trusts them. It's the ones at the other end I worry about." She glanced into the mini-mes' room and sighed. "Ully, Earth hawks do not come in magenta."

Ully stuck his head out. Save for his unusual coloring, he looked identical to a very large goshawk. "Why not?" He demanded peevishly.

"They just don't, okay? You've seen the pictures."

"Dull." He complained.

"Better dull then dead." Reginald pointed out and Ully blinked.

"Good point." His color shifted until he was the normal color of a goshawk. "When do we leave?" He eyed Reginald, who was now stretched out on the floor.

Doro rolled an eye until she could see the people loading her hold. "Another Earth hour perhaps."

"Good." Ully dropped abruptly down to snatch at Reginald's tail. Instantly a snarling, shrieking fight broke out between the two of them, with curses from a hundred different languages.

Doro sighed. This was going to be a long trip.


	13. Part Ten

Another morning, another splitting headache. Donovan took three aspirin and a quick shower before dressing and stumbling out into the bright morning sunshine, reflecting that he really needed to get some new clothes. He paused in the street, remembering that Julie had said something about Alice and some of the others sneaking into a thrift store the other night and making off with as much clothing as they could. They had left money behind to cover the cost of the clothes, not wanting to actually steal but not able to do the kind of mass shopping they needed to do during the day. Picking up a lot of underwear and socks rarely raised an eyebrow but buying a few dozen jeans in varying sizes might. Now where did they put those clothes?

Right. The general store. Where else? Blessing the builders of this mock western town for actually using complete buildings and not just fake fronts, Donovan started over toward the store only to pause in surprise when Tyler stepped from the stable. Over the past few days, Tyler had worn shorts and sleeveless shirts. Now he wore black jeans, a t-shirt with an unbuttoned shirt over it, and boots. He was pulling on gloves as he absently looked around the camp, eyes finally resting on Donovan.

"Something wrong, Gooder?"

"Just haven't seen you in those clothes for awhile."

Tyler smiled slightly. "The remains of the Playa Del Mar Resistance are coming in to finalize the raid and the less people that know about my people being here, the better."

"Why?" Donovan asked sharply.

Tyler looked at him in obvious surprise. "We're giving Earth an edge against the Visitors. Don't want them to find out about it, do we? The fewer people who know, the less likely that'll happen." His eyes slid past Donovan. "That must be them now."

Donovan turned to see a van driven by Chris roll to a stop at the far end of the street. The side and passenger doors opened and three people stepped out, looking around warily. Donovan started over to them only to pause at a startled grunt from Tyler. He turned to see that Polly had barreled full-force into Tyler and was now gripping his shirt bunched in both hands, looking at him fiercely.

"What was that for, kitten?" Tyler's voice was bemused.

"You were going away again!" Polly accused. "I saw that!"

Donovan blinked, confused.

"She means," Fontana said quietly, almost in his ear. "That Kom was reverting back to his old 'human' self. It upsets the children."

Donovan looked over his shoulder at the man then back at Tyler, who was gently prying Polly's hands from his shirt.

"Sometimes I have to." He said quietly. "You know that."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." The girl groused, stomping a foot.

"No, it doesn't." Tyler agreed as he started past her.

"You said you'd teach me the _Barbarosian_ alphabet!" Polly protested and Tyler threw her a startled look.

"I did?"

"You did." Fontana said. "Last night. I remember."

Tyler threw him an exasperated look. "You're not helping."

Fontana looked interested. "Am I supposed to be?"

"Fontana!" Polly stomped her foot again and Fontana grinned down at her.

"Y'know, she's beginning to remind me of your _komessee n'iishai_." He said.

Tyler grunted. "Just what I need. A little human version of Pular Singe. This afternoon, _ni'prih_." He tousled the girl's hair. "Maybe you and Fontana can get the stuff together." He glanced at the new arrivals, now being lead into the saloon. "Once this meeting is over and lunch is done, we can get together. Fontana, you know where everything is." He turned toward the saloon. "Try not to make a mess or blow anything up."

Fontana scowled at Tyler's back. "Come on, kitten. I'll tell you another story about our cadet days."

"With Pular Singe?"

"Sure. Got lots of them." The two of them vanished into the stable. Tyler looked after them, shaking his head.

"If Pular Singe ever comes to Earth," Tyler muttered. "I will be so very royally screwed."

Donovan threw him a startled look, realizing suddenly that Tyler was once again wearing his 'do-not-approach' expression, the one they'd seen throughout the first few weeks he'd been with the group.

"What does that mean? _Komeshe n_ ..." Donovan stumbled over the alien words and Tyler threw him an amused look.

"_Komessee n'iishai_. Heart sister. On Earth, I suppose the closest thing would be blood-brother. Sister rather." Then they were stepping through the swinging doors and into the war room.

There were only a few people present, since most of those who were going to be in this raiding party were currently on another assignment. Besides Julie and the three newcomers, Caleb was there, as well as Chris, Maggie and Alice. All stood around one of the tables, studying the maps spread out there. Ignoring the wary looks of the newcomers, Tyler walked to Julie's side.

"What's the situation?"

Julie pointed toward an area on the map. "Item: one Visitor installation being built. Suspected to be a food processing plant but not totally certain. Said installation is currently boosting the local economy so general consensus is that the locals may not be happy about us blowing it up."

"They'll be even less happy if we don't." Alice, now perched on the bar, pointed out.

Julie waved a hand. "No argument there." She glanced up at the newcomers with a slight smile. "Sorry. Bad manners. This is Mike Donovan and Ham Tyler. Ham is our military expert." Julie nodded toward the man standing to the far right. "Pete Nichols is the leader of the Playa Del Mar Resistance. Ex-Army, right?"

"Ranger." Nichols said tersely. Big and brawny, he looked capable of bench-pressing a car. He was eying Tyler with a hint of scorn. Over the past couple months Tyler had been letting his hair grow out and while not yet long enough to pull back into a ponytail, it did brush his collar. That, along with the beard, clashed with Nichols' military crew cut and clean-shaven face. Tyler simply crossed his arms and stared broodingly back.

"Luke Tanner." The man next to him was tall but slender, blond to Nichols' dark brown hair. Both men had blue eyes, though of different shades.

"And Susan Lee." Susan Lee nodded coolly, her features as expressionless as Tyler's. Her oriental features were beautiful, save for the puckered scar that ran down the left side of her face, narrowly missing her eye.

"It seems they have seven other people capable of fighting. Caleb, how many of our people do you plan on taking?"

Caleb grunted. "I figure to take eight of our people, including me." He rattled off the names of seven of their people, all excellent fighters. Tyler straightened, crossing his arms and listening thoughtfully as Caleb ran through the rough plan they'd worked out. Donovan settled onto a nearby table, watching. He was surprised at what he observed.

While Tyler still gave off the unmistakable 'alpha wolf' aura he'd joined the group with, he also made it very clear that Julie was the leader of the group. When Nichols addressed him rather then Julie concerning the plan, Tyler pointedly directed his attention back to her, a move that turned the former Army Ranger red. Julie ignored the exchange and answered the question as if it had been directed to her in the first place.

"We should be able to supply some explosives." She glanced at Chris, who nodded once. "And we have Visitor weapons your people can use. Maybe keep?" She glanced at Tyler, who frowned thoughtfully.

"We might be able to spare some." He said reluctantly, obviously not liking to trade out their Visitor weapons. Julie just nodded.

"Our people will bring some with them. You said you have spare medical supplies? And propane?"

Luke shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, some. We can maybe use them to trade for the weapons."

Julie nodded curtly. "That'll do then. Caleb and the others will come down a couple days ahead of time to look things over, especially that dry wash." Tyler had questioned the wisdom of using a dry wash as cover on the way to the installation, subsiding only when a possible alternate plan was created. Julie looked over the trio, her eyes stern. "As well as work with your people some. Caleb will be in charge of the raid, Sancho his second."

"Wait a second ..." Nichols started but Julie cut him off curtly.

"My people are risking their lives to help your people. I want to make sure they get back alive."

"I've been doing this kind of work for a long time." Nichols straightened but if he expected to intimidate Julie into backing down, he was sorely mistaken. She just looked back at him without expression.

"But have your people?" Tyler pointed out. A movement caught his eye and he looked to see Susan Lee pointedly touch the scar on her face. He raised an eyebrow. "That is hardly an endorsement to how good your people might be. In fact, pretty much the opposite."

For the first time, Lee's expression changed, obviously shocked that Tyler would be so blunt. Tyler looked back at Nichols with hard eyes.

"We're giving you eight damn good people on deposit and we expect to get the same eight people back, alive and in one piece."

Nichols stared back, obviously trying to stare the smaller man down but he ended up looking away first. Tyler smiled his teeth-bared wolf's grin, a grin, Donovan suddenly realized, he hadn't seen in days. He looked like he was getting ready to go for the man's throat.

"I think we understand each other." Julie pointedly stepped between the two men and Tyler startled Donovan even more by stepping back and giving her a faintly apologetic look. "Chris will take you back to your car. Our eight will be at the rendezvous two weeks from tomorrow. Good luck."

Chris and Caleb escorted the threesome out, both trying unsuccessfully to hide broad grins.

"It's all big dogs, little dogs." Maggie said dryly and Tyler looked insulted.

"Please! Big wolves, little wolves! Or in this case, infant wolves." He looked after Nichols scornfully.

The three women started laughing. Donovan stared, totally confused. "Aaaaaa ... do I want to know?"

"Probably not." Tyler grunted. Seeing Donovan's expression, he relented. "Essentially, Maggie's saying that the way Nichols and I were reacting to each other is the same way two alpha dogs ... or rather wolves ... react to each other. Which is pretty much correct." He glanced at the doors with a slight smile. "Nichols wants to lead the raid but his idea of leading is to barrel in the front door and blast everything in sight. A good way to get killed." Caleb re-entered the building and Tyler glanced over at him. "If he tries to pull rank or anything, pull our people out. I know his kind and they tend to get people killed."

"Don't worry. I know his kind too."

Tyler nodded then turned back to Julie. "Sorry about the alpha wolf thing ..."

"As long as you're using it to back me up, I don't mind. Just don't let it go beyond the glare and stare stage."

"No fears,_ba'ze_." Tyler said dryly. He glanced down at his hands then abruptly peeled the gloves off, studying the sharp claws. "If it ever goes beyond that stage ..."

"We'll be cleaning blood off the ceiling?" Alice guessed and Tyler blinked then looked away in obvious embarrassment, curling his hands to hide the claws.

"Men like that just raise my hackles." He muttered, shoving the gloves into a back pocket.

"You used to be a man like that." Donovan pointed out.

"Was I?" Tyler shrugged. "In a way, I suppose I was but that was then, this is now. None of us," He glanced over his shoulder at Julie. "Are the same as we were this time last year." The woman made a face at him in response and he smiled slightly. "I better go make sure Fontana isn't getting ready to blow things up. He's starting to get restless."

"Starting?" Caleb looked up from where he was fixing a pot of coffee.

Tyler grimaced. "All right. He's been restless for a while. He's not used to being in the same place for so long." He slipped out the door. After a moment, Donovan followed him, stopping abruptly when he realized Tyler was sitting on the step, untying his boots.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't like wearing boots." Tyler grunted as he pulled off a boot. "Claws, boots. A bad combination. Almost as bad as claws and sheets." He paused, smiling suddenly. "Man, did Linn ever use to complain about what my claws did to her sheets. She kept threatening to take a clipper to me. First the cat then you! she used to say." He paused thoughtfully. "Of course there was a time or two when she wasn't referring to the claws."

Laughter came from behind them and Maggie stepped over to lean against a nearby post. "A trip to the vet's? For you or the cat?"

"Depended on which one of us she was more pissed at. Usually me." He gave the woman a hard look. "But don't you get any ideas."

"Hey, you still owe me for clawing my legs."

"You know I didn't mean to claw them so badly!" To Donovan's surprise, Tyler really did seem contrite.

"I know. But you still owe me."

Tyler muttered something under his breath.

"So Linn knew? About ..." Donovan nodded toward Tyler's hand.

Tyler threw him a surprised look. "Of course she knew." He held up a hand, claws extended. "You can't hide these from a bed partner. At least not a long term one. Not that I've had too many, here on Earth." He pulled off the other boot, dropping it to the ground with a sigh. "Hookers don't care if you keep your gloves and boots on." He smiled slightly, glancing at the stable. "And a _Barbarosian_ doesn't care, period."

Donovan shifted uncomfortably. Tyler noticed and shook his head. "Like I keep telling Fontana, humans are weird about sex." He grinned suddenly. "Don't tell me you got a problem with me and Fontana?" He asked abruptly then laughed when Donovan flushed. "I don't believe it! Gooder's homophobic."

"I wouldn't put it that way ..." Donovan looked at Maggie for help but she just crossed her arms and looked thoughtful.

"How would you put it?" Tyler shook his head again. Picking up his boots, he rose. "Look, Donovan, what's between Fontana and me is sex, plain and simple. Well, maybe not so plain and simple but that's a story you probably don't want to hear. Me, on a whole, I prefer women. But the minute these became common knowledge ..." He raised his hand to indicate the claws. "My chances of getting a bed partner in this group dropped considerably. And I can't chance a trip to the red light district."

"And Fontana?"

"Prefers my brother, Chim. So he pretends. And I pretend a little harder. But it's fun. And it's company. _Barbarosians_ aren't meant to sleep alone." Tyler glanced over his shoulder at Maggie, looking as if he'd just remembered she was in hearing distance. She however, was looking at his bare feet.

"How can you walk on that?" She asked, indicating the sharp gravel that was scattered on the street.

Tyler glanced down then moved to lean against the post next to Maggie, bringing his foot up to show her the bottom. "Hard as tanned leather. I spent the first several years of my life barefoot. Common practice." He ran the flat of a claw along the skin. "We always have a hell of a time getting the kittens into boots for the first time. I seem to remember being a terror and a half when the time came." He said ruefully then glanced at Maggie. "Are you coming over tonight?" He asked. "Alice got a hold of some truly awful movies."

"Love to. But I have a ... date."

Tyler's face went expressionless at the reminder of Maggie's relationship with Daniel Bernstein. "Right. Afterwards maybe?"

Maggie smiled slightly. "If it's still going. Should I bring beer?"

"If you want to make it through these movies, you might want to bring something a whole lot stronger." Holding the boots by the laces, he walked across the street to the stable.

Donovan looked at Maggie. "Truly awful movies?"

"Yeah. Every now and then, Chris scrounges some kerosene from somewhere and uses it to power up their generator to run the TV and VCR and we watch some truly awful movies. Or Mr. Ed. Depends on our moods."

"I thought Robert and Tyler talked in the evening."

"They do. Some of the things that come out are really interesting too. You should come over sometime. Julie has."

"She has?" Donovan thought back, remembering that Julie had said something about sitting in on the talks.

Maggie nodded. "I gotta go. My turn to help serve lunch. Then I have to get ready for my - 'date'. Later, Mike."

Donovan watched her go then glanced at the stable with a frown.

------------------------------------------

Ham dropped his boots to one side of the stable doors and looked over at the long tables. Fontana was sitting at one while Polly sat cross-legged on the table itself. "What mischief are you two planning?" He demanded.

"Who, us? Mischief? Where'd you get that idea?" Fontana asked, not bothering to look up.

"I know which of the Four Quarters your family follows." Ham said firmly.

"Hey!" Fontana threw him a hurt look and Ham grinned.

"It's almost lunch, Polly. You better go get cleaned up and get ready."

Polly made a face at him but climbed down from the table. "Are you coming for lunch?"

"Not today,_ni'prih_. Go on."

The girl grinned. "I know what that means! That means 'little rat'!" Then she was out the doors and running for the trailers.

"She's picking up our language way too fast." Ham commented, walking over to stand behind the other man. He slipped an arm around him and Fontana glanced upwards, mildly surprised at this open display of affection in an area where they could be seen.

"_What are you looking so reflective for_?"

"_Memories_." Ham said simply. "_And wishful thinking_."

Fontana reached up to twine his fingers with Ham's. "_Change_." He suggested. "_Come hunting with me_."

After a moment, Ham nodded. "_I'll be back down in a minute_."

"What are you looking at?" Julie asked from behind Donovan and he blinked, suddenly realizing he'd been staring blindly at the stable. He shook his head.

"Just thinking." After a moment, he continued. "I can't figure Tyler out. Half the time he's this guy I've totally loathed over the years, the other half he's someone I could probably ... well, at least not actually hate."

Julie slipped her arm through Donovan's. "I've been trying to tell you that for awhile now."

"Maggie said you've been over there some evenings."

"A few. The last couple we've ended up playing dominoes. Beats sitting alone worrying." She pretended not to notice Donovan wince. "Are you going anywhere tonight?"

"No, not tonight."

"Good. Then you can join us."

Tyler and Fontana stepped from the stable then ran toward the woods. Neither man looked toward the couple as they vanished into the trees.

"Going hunting." Julie murmured.

"Is that wise? Some folks don't like it."

Julie shook her head. "They need fresh meat. Not all the time but every now and then. And we need the meat too. Have you seen the price of meat in the stores? What's wrong?"

"They do eat raw meat?" Donovan felt a little sick. He must have look sick as well.

Julie threw him an impatient look. "Yes, they eat raw meat. And some humans eat raw fish. Steak tartar. Frog legs and snails and insects. Not to mention horses and cats, the very idea of which they find nauseating. I thought Fontana was going to lose it when he heard some societies eat cats."

"It's just that ..." Donovan thought back on what his mother had told him two nights ago. He hadn't really believed all of it but now ... He realized Julie was looking at him closely. "You really do trust him, don't you?" He asked suddenly.

She looked startled. "Who, Tyler? I don't have a reason not to. He's done everything he's said he was going to do. He hasn't made any false promises. He hasn't lied."

"You can't be sure everything he's telling you is true."

Julie surprised Donovan by laughing. "Maybe not. But at least he's telling us things. And I'm willing to bet most, if not all, of what he's telling us is true. I don't see the advantage of him telling us things he knows wouldn't be acceptable to the majority of humans."

"True." Donovan reluctantly agreed. "But he hasn't told us why his people come here in the first place."

Julie looked surprised. And, he realized, a little guilty. She glanced around the empty street. "Actually, he has." She admitted. She caught the look on Donovan's face and flushed slightly, though there was a defiant look in her eyes. "We met privately a few days ago. He told me some things he thought I should know. About his people, about him."

"Why keep them secret?"

"Because having Ham here gives us an edge. If you have a mega-weapon in your possession, you don't go around telling everyone what it can do. Not to mention the fact that some people might misunderstand some things."

"Why tell you?"

Julie looked surprised. "Because I'm the _ba'ze_. The leader. I need to know."

"Is that what that means?"

"I guess it means something like boss. Apparently when Ham accepted me as the leader - _his_ leader - he did it all the way." She paused and Donovan saw a mixture of anxiety and doubt in her eyes. "When a _Barbarosian_ gives his loyalty, he does it totally. Completely. It's a little like having a trained tiger on a leash. He'll obey your orders but what orders should you give?"

"It scares you, doesn't it?" _'If it's true'_, he thought to himself. He had a hard time believing Tyler could give his loyalty to anyone.

Julie gulped air, remembering. "Yes. But it would scare me more if he hadn't agreed to accept me as leader. As _ba'ze_." She shook herself, her eyes clearing. "It's ... complicated. And I can't explain it. Not now. I promised."

Donovan hesitated. "Can you at least tell me why he's here? On Earth?" He saw her hesitation. "I need to know."

Julie looked at him, surprised. It was obvious that this was important to him. She thought back on what Ham had said that night and how he said it. Making a decision, she nodded toward the whorehouse, where lunch was being served.

"Let's eat. Then we'll take a walk."

------------------------------------------

An hour later, they were in the woods, walking along the fringes toward the northern fields. It was one of the few truly private areas to talk.

"You have to promise not to talk to anyone about what we're going to talk about, Mike." Julie said abruptly. "Essentially Ham gave me the discretion on who to tell what but I need to know that the people I tell aren't going to spread it around."

Hurt, Donovan turned to look at her. "You know me better then that, Julie."

"I do. I think I do. But you did let it out that Ham and Fontana really are lovers, didn't you? No one else knew, at the time."

Donovan flushed. "I ... all right, I did say something but it wasn't exactly a secret!"

"It wasn't common knowledge either and I thought you'd have had sense not to talk about it. That's why I want your promise now. Not to talk about this with anyone, for any reason. Ham's trusting me and I need to be able to trust you."

"You have it. I promise."

Julie nodded and started to walk across the field. "Remember; back when we all met with Ham so he could answer questions? God! That seems like a lifetime ago!" Julie burst out suddenly then she shook her head. "He said, _'We go to inhabited non-Confederation worlds -- usually low-tech, usually pre-space travel -- to keep an eye on them.'_"

"'So to speak.'" Donovan added.

"Yeah, so to speak. That's exactly what they do. The Outriders' job is to keep an eye on planets and report back to the Confederation on the planet's development. Technically, they're not supposed to get involved in any way but it's almost impossible not to. Apparently William appears in our history books more then once. So does Wolf and someone called Piper and a dozen other _Barbarosians_ as well. The general rule of thumb seems to be that they can't tell us how to do things, they can't give us technology, they can't solve our problems but they can hint and guide and make suggestions."

"And that's why they're here?"

"No, that's just a side-effect. They're here because while we're a species with a lot of potential, we're also a species with a whole lot of really nasty baggage and a tendency for violence that's apparently very alarming. They are here to see if we're going to, as Ham puts it, 'grow up or blow up'."

Donovan stopped dead. "Meaning?"

"Meaning if we can grow up enough to accept other alien species, no matter what their appearance, as equal sentient beings and live peaceably with them then we're welcome out there." She gestured toward the skies. "If we blow up then they are going to do their best to make sure we don't take any other sentient species with us."

"In other words, they want to ... what? Control us?"

Julie threw him an impatient look. "No, Mike. We can do whatever we please. But just as we have that right, they have the right to have nothing to do with us and the responsibility to protect the less sentient species in their care from us. They won't do a thing to prevent us from reaching space but they will keep their people safe from us. Period." She started walking again, Donovan at her side.

"So you don't think there's a more sinister reason they're here?"

"Like what?"

"Same reason the Visitors are here. For the planet."

Julie started laughing again. "Mike, if they wanted Earth, they could have taken it any time within the last several centuries! They wouldn't have waited until we have high-tech weapons! Besides, why would they want Earth now? I mean, it's over-populated, polluted ... a total mess! It would cost more to clean it up and/or run it than it would be to simply find some unpopulated, more pristine planet. Yes, Ham said that and in this case, I totally believe him."

"Yeah." Donovan couldn't help but smile. "I guess I do too. But then why are the Visitors here rather then finding one of those unpopulated planets?"

"I don't know. We haven't gotten that far yet." At Donovan's questioning look, she shrugged. "It's one of those things that apparently don't get talked about, along with why the Confederation hates the Visitors so much."

Donovan hesitated then asked. "Do you think the Confederation is the reason the Visitors traveled here, to Earth, rather then a closer planet?"

"Honestly? I think that the Confederation _does_ have something to do with why the Visitors had to come this far. Not the only reason, more of a contributing factor. We're sort of easing into questions concerning the Visitors. I just don't know if he'll answer them. Or if he does, which he would answer. Or how." Julie shook her head. "The questions he does answer, he answers in general terms and sometimes in ways that don't make sense, at least not until you put all the pieces together. Problem being, we don't have enough pieces to put anything together as yet. Once or twice, he's told a story rather than answer the question." She ran her hands through her hair in obvious frustration.

"Why doesn't he just tell us what he knows?"

"I don't know." Julie smiled thinly. "I have a suspicion he doesn't think we'll believe him, among other things. Not to mention a reluctance to talk about an obviously painful time in their history. Maybe even a taboo about talking about it. Sometimes I think he wants to but then he just can't." She stopped suddenly, realizing they'd walked through the field and into the woods. They were now standing on the edges of a large clearing.

"But what ..." Donovan started but Julia waved him to silence. She could hear - she stepped back into the shadows of the trees, grabbing Donovan's sleeve and yanking him back with her. He threw her a puzzled look and started to speak but she waved him to silence again and pointed to her ear.

Donovan heard it then, a man's quiet laugh then Fontana was bounding into the clearing. Tyler appeared, running full-force into the other man and they tumbled into the thick grass together. Julie stretched up to speak into Donovan's ear.

"They don't just hunt in the woods." She murmured softly. Even so, Tyler must have heard something. He straightened, peering suspiciously into the shadows but then Fontana was on his knees near him, so close they were almost nose-to-nose. They stared at each other in what looked like a contest of wills and Donovan wouldn't have been surprised if the claws came out.

Fontana moved first but not in the expected aggression. He leaned close to rub his cheek slowly against the other man's. Tyler responded in kind.

Julie tugged on Donovan's sleeve and pointed toward the underside of her jaw then to her upper cheek. "Scent glands." She mouthed. Donovan blinked, suddenly realizing that the two men's actions reminded him of a pair of cats. When he looked back, Tyler was rubbing the underside of his jaw slowly along the other's bare shoulder, a look of quiet bliss on his face. Donovan flushed, both embarrassed and strangely excited by the sight. Julie tugged at his hand and they slipped further back into the shadows, both hoping the two men were too occupied to hear them.

Once they were back into the northern field, Julie stopped. "We were downwind. I don't think they knew we were there."

"Would it matter if they did?" Donovan's voice came out in a croak and he flushed.

Julie gave him an odd look and smiled. "To them? Probably not. The _Barbarosian_ are an incredibly social people and very physical with each other. It's very unlikely _that_ ..." She nodded back the way they'd come. "Will actually include any sex. It might, it might not. It's the way they are. They want to touch each other, to smell each other. To be near each other. Need a cold shower?" She asked abruptly then grinned as Donovan flushed deeper with embarrassment.

Julie shook her head and starting walking slowly back toward camp, Donovan next to her. "Before we knew he was alien, before Fontana came, he always projected that 'don't come near, don't touch' aura, remember? A defense mechanism. He had to keep himself rigidly in control because behavior that is common among his people can be seriously frowned upon or misunderstood here. With Fontana here, a lot of those barriers have fallen and when Fontana leaves ..."

"He'll go back to the way he was?"

"God, I hope not!" Julie burst out. She shook her head. "No, we're trying to find a happy medium. Haven't you noticed that he's creating a ... oh, I don't know how to describe it. A ... social circle, you might call it. All people who know what he is and don't really care? People he'll be able to interact with. Not the way he could with his own people, of course, but enough to keep him from slipping back into the emotionally remote man he was before. We hope." She glanced behind them. "Not _that_ social. Unless he finds a human lover. Or another _Barbarosian_ joins us." She grinned suddenly. "Or maybe the cast of_Cats_."

"Is that likely to happen? Not the cast of _Cats_ part ..." Donovan gestured then paused. "Though that might be interesting, come to think of it."

"A human lover? Not impossible. Another _Barbarosian_? Maybe possible." She slipped her hand into Donovan's and paused just outside the camp. "I don't think he'll go back to the way he was. We'll do our best to prevent that." She fell silent. "Mike, forget what you know of Ham from the past and look at the man as he is today. Watch him. Talk to him. More importantly, _listen_ to him. You haven't ever gone to the stable, have you? When Robert's been there?"

"I hadn't thought anyone else was welcome."

"At first, no one was. But now, Robin and the girls go there often enough. Polly hangs around all the time. I've dropped in more then once. Caleb, Maggie, Rico, Sancho, Father Andrew. Some of the others. He doesn't mind. Not a lot of questions get answered but sometimes he'll tell a story." She grinned. "Robert's in seventh heaven. An alien willing to answer questions is an anthropologist's dream. I think he's foreseeing a day when he can publish his work." She looked up to where the mothership could be seen in the distance. "If the other aliens ever leave, that is."

Donovan didn't respond. His mind was whirling with thoughts of what he thought he knew about Tyler, about the things his mother had said, about the things he was seeing now. The sensible part of him knew that he wanted to believe the bad things so he'd have an excuse to go through with the deal. The father part of him insisted all the bad things were true.

A finger poked at him. "You're drifting again." Julie accused and Donovan smiled.

"Just thinking. When is this get-together tonight?" He asked mainly to distract her.

"We usually start between five and seven but folks drift in and out all the time. Especially if it's bad movie night. What's that thoughtful look for?"

"I was just wondering ... how many cast members of _Cats_ do you think might really be _Barbarosian_?"

Julie started laughing.

------------------------------------------

It was past mid-afternoon when Ham and Fontana walked out of the woods and back into the town, each carrying a load of game. They had taken time to wash in a creek before returning and both were still damp. Some people stared, obviously wondering what they had been up to.

Fontana reached over suddenly to take what Ham was carrying. "I'll take these to the kitchen. I think you might have some explaining to do."

"Uh ...? Oh. Damn, I forgot." Polly was sitting by the stable doors, glaring at him. "Well, it is afternoon and it is after lunch ... I take it that isn't going to fly."

"No." Polly said shortly.

Ham sighed. "Sorry, kitten. I lost track of time." He shot a glare at Fontana's back.

Polly looked after Fontana as well then shrugged. "Okay. That'll fly." She stood up. "You've got something under your claws." She said matter-of-factly and Ham looked at his hands in surprise. He had cleaned them but there was still a trace of blood there. He flushed, curling his hands to hide them before realizing that Polly had simply been informing him of that fact. "I better scrub them then. Where's your father?"

"In the saloon, trying to do up your family tree."

Ham grinned wickedly. "That ought to be fun. Let me get cleaned up and we'll go over there."

------------------------------------------

"Can't you just start with Tyler's parents?" Donovan asked while looking at the charts Robin and Robert were working on. Aware of a sudden silence, he looked up to see both of them looking as if they wanted to strangle him on the spot. After a moment of imposing silence, Donovan gingerly stepped sideways to finally sit next to Father Andrew, eyes still on the duo. After a moment, they returned to their charts and he finally relaxed.

"How long have they been like that?" Donovan asked quietly.

The big priest grinned broadly as he leafed through a copy of Robert's notes. "Since Ham gave them a basic rundown on his immediate family last night." He answered just as quietly.

Julie, seated on the priest's other side, added. "Not that I blame them. Chris was right when he said they would need a couple walls and lots of chalk." She glanced at the door, nodding a greeting as Tyler and Polly entered the building. Tyler had an ornately carved box tucked under his arm while Polly had several sketch pads in her arms.

"How about over there, _ni'prih_?" Tyler gestured at an empty table near her father.

"I know what that means!" Katie said suddenly from where she was sitting on the floor, playing with a battered but serviceable doll house. "That means 'little rat'!"

Tyler stopped dead, staring at the girl in surprise. "Your kids really do pick up languages fast!" He said to Robert.

"They sure seem to be." Robert grinned. "I think Fontana's teaching them on the sly."

"I wouldn't put it past him." Tyler set the box on the table.

"Little rat?" Natalie Barnes, sitting at another table playing poker with a few others, looked at him in disbelief. "That's not exactly a term of endearment."

"It can be where I come from." He looked at Polly. "You mind I call you that?"

"As long as you're using it to mean a little version of Pular Singe and not the Earth rodent, no I don't." She put the pads onto the table and climbed into a chair.

Tyler laughed and tousled the girl's hair. Donovan noticed some people watching that gesture uneasily. The claws, he realized, that were noticeable even when sheathed, if you knew to look for them.

Slipping into the chair next to Polly, Tyler undid the leather strap that kept the box closed and flipped the top open to reveal neat rows of ink bottles and nib-tipped pens. "Okay, we need a pad of paper ... thank you." He took the pad she offered him. "First thing to know is that we have several more letters in our alphabet then in the English alphabet. Like _sh_ is considered a single letter and so is _th_. And sometimes a word has its own symbol so you don't have to spell it out every time. Yes and no, for example but we'll get into those later. For now, we'll just lay out the alphabet."

With swift strokes of the pen, Tyler half-wrote, half-drew a series of slashes along the page. He paused briefly at the end of the first row before returning to the far left and continuing the sequence. One page full, he carefully tore it out before covering a second and then a third page. "Normally, of course, we write much smaller but for now ..." He tore out the third page and set it aside to dry.

"Ham! Good! You're here!" Linda shoved one of the swinging doors open with her shoulder and stepped into the building, her arms full.

"I didn't do it!" After a moment of silence, Tyler looked up and around at several pairs of staring eyes. "What?" He asked in obvious puzzlement.

"I don't think I want to know where that came from." Julie finally said, amused by the realization that Ham really didn't seem to know what he'd just said.

"Hey, that's nothing." Chris folded his cards and flipped them into the pile. "One time, in Laos, he came out of a sound sleep and his first words were 'You can't pin it on me! I don't know where that spleen came from!'. We never did figure that one out."

"Did you really want to?" Robert asked.

"Hell, no! But it sure scared the new guys."

Ham gave his friend a long-suffering look. "I don't remember that. I really, honestly don't remember that." He glanced at Linda. "What's up?"

Linda grinned back cheerfully, dropping her armload onto an empty table. "Manuals!"

Tyler arched an eyebrow. "Where'd they come from?"

"Another cell got them somehow. When they found out we had someone who might be able to translate them, they sent them over on the condition they get copies."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Tyler rose. "Stay away from the inks, kitten."

"Okay." She said solemnly, eyes twinkling, and Tyler paused, eying her thoughtfully. After a moment, he flipped the box closed and took it with him, setting it on the table next to the manuals. Polly made a face at his back.

"Got a pen?" Ham asked Linda, who pulled one from her pocket. He glanced over the top manual. "Food processing. This one will be useful when we can finally reverse the process." He wrote 'Food Processing' on the cover and set it aside, making his way quickly through the stack. "Ah. Here's the one you want." He wrote 'Communications' on a manual and handed it directly to the woman. Linda grinned, holding it close as Ham finished up the stack. "One on shuttle repair, one on weapons repair. Pretty good haul. Now for a chance to translate them."

"Well, we really need the communications." Linda wheedled and Ham grinned.

"Tomorrow. If I'm free tomorrow, I'll work at translating it. It isn't easy. The languages are similar but there are enough differences that I need to be careful. In fact, if you want to hang over my shoulder, I can teach you to translate it as well."

"How would your boyfriend feel about that?" Hansen asked snidely

"Mine or hers?" Ham asked.

"I don't have a boyfriend. Must be yours." Linda said as she thumbed through the manual then she paused, looking thoughtful. "Of course, from what I've seen of Fontana, his response to that remark would probably be to ..." To the shocked surprise of some in the room and to the amusement of the rest, she leaned sideways into Tyler, flipping back her long hair and looking up at him saucily. "... invite me up into the loft."

Tyler grinned wolfishly, leaning forward until he was almost nose-to-nose with the woman. "In a heartbeat. He has a thing for red-haired ladies with green eyes."

"Hey, kids. Let's keep it clean." Father Andrew rose and stepped hurriedly forward to clamp a hand firmly on each of their shoulders; cutting off what he suspected would be a very raunchy reply on Linda's part. "Young ears are present."

Ham looked at him then leaned close enough to whisper something in Linda's ear. The woman turned scarlet and collapsed into the nearest chair, helpless with laughter. Everyone stared at her with varying degrees of surprise and trepidation.

"I don't think we want to know what he said." Robin said quietly to Julie.

"You're probably too young for it." Julie looked at the laughing woman. "I suspect my great-grandmother might be too young for it."

Scooping up the box, Tyler returned to his place next to Polly. The girl wisely said nothing about the still-laughing woman, just watched as Tyler once again set out the inks and pens.

"What's with her?" Fontana appeared in the doorway, eying Linda apprehensively.

Ham said something back in a rapid-fire language that sounded nothing like the language the duo normally spoke. Polly glared up at him. "That's not _Barbarosian_!" She accused.

"No, it's not." Tyler agreed. "It's cadet cant, sometimes called battlespeak. We learn it as cadets." He grinned, ignoring the girl's glower and looking over at Fontana, who was now eying Linda with a speculative expression. "And if you're planning on company, let me know so I can find a rooftop to sleep on."

Fontana looked puzzled. "Why? It's a big loft."

Linda laughed even harder and Father Andrew looked up sternly.

"I am about to ground the lot of you! Now knock it off!" He snapped.

Donovan wasn't sure why such a threat from a Catholic priest would have any effect on the two aliens but it did. Fontana vanished from the doorway and Ham turned back to the pad of paper he'd been working on. Linda straightened but kept collapsing back into fits of giggles as she paged idly through the communications manual.

"Do you have to use those kinds of pens?" Polly asked.

"Nope. They're just fun. Colored pencils or pens would work just as well. In most cases. There are some things you need a very special kind of ink for but we couldn't get it here anyway, even if we did need it."

"Which we don't."

"Right."

"The different colors can mean different things?"

"Yep. Depending on the context. Here ..."

Donovan watched as Tyler patiently explained the _Barbarosian_ alphabet to Polly. After a while, Robin left her table and joined them, watching as the _Barbarosian_ showed how to write first his name and then theirs.

There was a sudden thump as Fontana dropped down onto the bar and more then one person jumped in surprise. Donovan looked upward, realizing the man had dropped down from the second floor.

Tyler broke off what he was doing and looked over at him thoughtfully. "You read old _Sslisslik_, don't you, Fontana?"

Fontana looked surprised. "Yes, but not well."

"As well as I do, I bet. How about helping Linda translate that manual she has a death grip on?"

Fontana arched an eyebrow, looking over at Linda. "Sure. Why not?" He snatched up a sketch pad from the pile and went to sit next to the woman. Minutes later, the two had their heads bent over the open manual, Fontana writing out notes.

Donovan turned his attention back to what Robert was doing but that got too confusing. He stood, intending to go out and check the parameter but paused when Caleb entered. The older man made his way over to Tyler, bending to speak to him quietly. Tyler listened, nodding every now and then before replying in a soft voice. Caleb nodded and straightened, walking back out of the building.

Donovan watched him leave with a frown then looked at Tyler, his head bent over the pad of paper, the two girls' intent on what he was doing. When, he wondered, had the attitude toward Tyler changed? Granted, some people in the camp were still wary of him and some wouldn't come anywhere near him but most of the others didn't even seem to notice he was alien. Or just didn't care. Weird, considering he wasn't bothering to hide it at all now. At least not within the camp.

Before he could reflect further, he saw Fontana suddenly raise his head, head tilted, listening. He said something sharply and Tyler raised his head to listen.

"What is it?" Julie asked, concerned. "A shuttle?"

"Truck." Polly said before either man could speak. Suddenly aware that everyone was staring at her, she looked up. "What? That was_Barbarosian_!"

"You're getting scary. Especially since, technically, we don't have a word for truck." Tyler rose. "You girls stay here." He ran out the door. Fontana rose as well but rather than use the door, he ran up the stairs and to the roof.

Tyler slid to a halt, looking left and right, finally turning to the right, heading for the whorehouse. "Binoculars!" He said sharply to a nearby sentry and, without hesitation, the man pulled the pair from his neck and tossed to Tyler. Doubling the strap, Tyler grasped it between his teeth and rapidly claw-climbed up the side of the building. He could hear Julie giving sharp orders as he settled onto the peak, peering through the binoculars. He could see the dust thrown up by the truck and then, finally the truck itself. After a long moment of close scrutiny, he relaxed.

"It's Elias and the others! Something must be wrong with the truck though! It doesn't sound right!"

"I'll look at it tonight!" Paul Leans, the group's mechanic, called up. Tyler nodded, leaning over to hold out the binoculars then releasing them to fall into the sentry's hands. The man re-slung them around his neck and went back to his duty. Tyler climbed down a story then dropped the rest of the way, walking over to join Julie as they waited for the truck.

Elias parked the truck carefully under the camouflage netting attached to the side of the whorehouse and stuck his head out. "We got one wounded! In the back!"

Tyler was already sprinting for the back of the truck, Donovan and a half-dozen others right behind him. Donovan heard Tyler hiss something then the_Barbarosian_ was helping a bloody Sancho from the truck.

"It ain't nothing!" The little Mexican was insisting. "Hardly a scratch! Them damn vests don't work against bullets!"

"They're not meant to." Ham reminded him, glancing grimly at Donovan and the former reporter was surprised at the look of concern in the other man's eyes. "Chair carry." Was all he said and Donovan nodded. Ignoring Sancho's protests, they laced their fingers together, forming a chair, and carried him into the infirmary, where Julie was already setting up. She ordered them out and the two men obeyed, ushering the others before them.

Tyler walked back to the truck. "Where's the other truck?" He asked Elias.

"They took the roundabout way. Should be here in an hour or so."

Tyler nodded, watching as others, directed by Alice, started to unpack the truck. "What happened?"

"Peterson didn't tell his people there would be a raid. Didn't want to chance anyone leaking anything but standard procedure in the company is if you get hijacked, let them take it. Only one of the drivers decided not to follow procedure. Pulled a gun and fired."

"What happened to him?"

Elias looked defiant; his next words almost a challenge. "He got a broken arm and a headache .. maybe some loose teeth ... but he's okay."

To more then a few people's surprise, Tyler just nodded. "Good job. Get your people and go get cleaned up. Get some food." He raised his voice slightly. "You're all off the roster for three days."

Elias looked surprised. Days off from sentry duty and raids were rare and he had no problem accepting it. Donovan watched the younger man walk away then looked at Tyler appraisingly.

"What?" Tyler said, not looking at the other man. "Did you expect me to give him hell about not killing that guy? If Sancho were dead or in danger of dying, I probably would. But, shit, Gooder, the guy was doing his job. Besides, I bet his boss is gonna tear him a new one for not following procedure. Need help?" He asked Alice. She shook her head.

"We got it. A damn good haul!" She said with an obvious air of satisfaction, watching as a line of people tossed items hand to hand and into the feed store, which functioned as their warehouse. "But no meat. I don't suppose you brought in some fresh meat?" She asked wistfully.

"Rabbits and squirrels. Lots of them in the woods. Fontana took a couple squirrels over to the stable. Next time, we'll try for fish." Tyler hesitated. "We're thinking of going out further, several miles, and hitting one of the ranches, rustle some cattle. Maybe goat or sheep. Hell, chicken would be good! Think we have the cash to cover it?"

Alice frowned. "I'll check. That might be a big project though."

Tyler grunted. "It's just a thought right now. We'll work it out later. People are getting a little sick of rabbit and squirrel."

"They should be glad to have it!" Alice snapped. "Go on. We've got this."

Tyler turned and walked away. After a startled moment, Donovan followed him, catching up with him at the infirmary.

"Good lady." Tyler grunted. "Chris's lucky." He paused to peer into the infirmary. They could hear Sancho complaining and Julie speaking firmly and they both grinned. They stepped back, Tyler looking around, ignoring Donovan's obvious study of him.

"Your people don't say good-bye, do they?" Donovan asked suddenly and Tyler looked at him, startled. "You never say 'bye', you just walk away. Like now."

Tyler frowned, eying him for a long moment before shrugging. "We don't have words for it. It's too permanent. We usually ..." He hesitated. "Our responses are usually physical. Its safe now, kitten. You can come out."

Donovan realized they had reached the saloon. Polly was in the doorway, peering out cautiously. "Someone got hurt?" She asked anxiously.

"Sancho, but not badly. He'll be fine. Come on, let's do some work on the alphabet."

"Do we get to come over and watch the movies tonight?"

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "One movie. Then the kittens go to bed so we can enjoy them properly."

"You mean drunk?"

"Stinking. Go sit down, I'll be right over." Tyler headed for the coffee pot. "Coffee?"

"Sure." Donovan looked around the room. Robin and Polly were once again at their table, Fontana and Linda were back working on the manual. Otherwise the room was empty. "What movies are showing tonight?"

Tyler's lips quirked. "'Attack of the Killer Tomatoes', 'Night of the Lepus', and 'Plan Nine from Outer Space'."

"Oh, god, those are bad." Donovan groaned.

"I think Alice made a special effort to find them. Along with every other campy horror film under the sun. Let's see. Last time, we watched 'The Car', 'Kingdom of the Spiders', and 'Frogs'. You Earthers can make some weird movies. One of my cousins, he's a smuggler, swears he comes to Earth just for the movies."

"How about 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'?"

Tyler grimaced. "I told Alice if she brought that one back, I was going to chase her up a tree. Chris seconded me."

Donovan grinned. "I think I can agree with that."

------------------------------------------

Busy with other things, Donovan arrived late to the stable. He was surprised to see that the stable doors were closed. Easing one open, he slipped in, blinking at what he saw.

Father Andrew and Caleb had the two most comfortable-looking chairs, everyone else were either using lawn chairs or sprawled on several mattresses scattered around the floor. Sancho was lying on the sofa, looking half-asleep but obviously having no intention of missing any of the fun. Julia sat on the floor in front of him, leaning back against the sofa. He made his way over and sat next to her, looking up just in time to participate in a group groan at the sight of a man in a giant rabbit suit attacking a man.

"Where'd the mattresses come from?" He muttered to Julie as some of the others proceeded to call out gratuitous advice to the people currently under siege by the rabbits.

"You don't want to know." Julie muttered back.

Concluding that he really probably didn't want to know, Donovan leaned back against the sofa. He found himself paying little attention to the movies. Instead, he watched the people watching the movie. The children were already gone ... he wondered briefly what movie they had watched ... and what could be called the cream of the crop were left, sprawled out in the make-shift theater. These people were the ones who formed the solid core of the LA Resistance, with the addition of Fontana, who was sitting cross-legged on a mattress with Linda and Alice. But, he realized suddenly, Tyler was missing.

Even as he thought that, Tyler dropped down to sit cross-legged on Julie's other side. If he was surprised to see Donovan, he didn't show it. He just offered them each a beer before settling back against the sofa, ignoring Sancho's protests.

"You can't have any. You're on painkillers." Julie admonished the other man and Sancho stuck out his tongue briefly before returning his attention to the movie. Julie just grinned and Donovan went back to his people watching, absently sipping the beer.

Almost against his will, Donovan had been taking Julie's earlier advice, not only with present events but also going through the events of the past several days, clearing his mind of what he had wanted to see and deliberately ignored what he knew ... thought he knew ... about Ham Tyler from years past. For the first time, he started to see little things that he had missed or, he forced himself to admit, deliberately ignored because they didn't fit into his view of Tyler. And now, watching Tyler interact with these people, he could see even more.

Chris and Tyler's friendship was undeniable. The two of them didn't even bother to banter back and forth. The majority of their communications was silent, as if every gesture and glance was a complete sentence. It was sometimes unnerving, but Donovan conceded, very handy in the field.

It had been long obvious that Caleb had somehow managed to form a bond with Tyler shortly after the _Barbarosian_ had come out of his long healing sleep, though no one was certain what the basis of it was. He was one of the few people willing to stand up forcefully to Tyler and one of the very few to get the man to back down from something. More importantly, Tyler listened to Caleb.

Actually, Donovan realized suddenly, Tyler listened to all of them. He didn't always agree with what the person said but he did listen. Even now, he was listening to Paul explain something. Donovan didn't know what they were discussing but Tyler was listening intently, if impassively. Father Andrew was listening as well, interjecting a soft word every now and then.

How Tyler reacted to Father Andrew surprised Donovan even more. He treated the man with a kind of gruff respect. It was obvious he didn't follow the priest's religion and Julie had said something about Tyler's people having serious issues with the Roman Catholic Church but he seemed to respect the religion and the man representing it. He even seemed to know the rituals. After one particularly strident meeting, during which the priest had admonished everyone involved to do five decades of the rosary (or the religion-of-your-choosing equivalent thereof), Tyler had actually borrowed a rosary and done it, from all appearances correctly. And while he didn't attend the church services, he did help keep the church in good repair.

Fontana sat on a mattress near Chris, and Donovan felt his mind shy away from his relationship with Tyler. He didn't want to know anymore about it. Of course, from the way the _Barbarosian_ was chatting with Linda, their heads close together, he couldn't help but wonder whether the relationship was going to continue. Then again, from what he understood, the _Barbarosian_ weren't monogamous so ...

He wrenched his mind from that line of thought and looked around again. Alice was curled up against Chris' broad frame, more then a little tipsy, which, he had to admit, was pretty much the only way to watch this movie. Elias, Robert, and Rico were leaning back against the RV, taking turns catcalling bad advice to the actors and throwing popcorn. Sancho ... well, Sancho was falling asleep, though he kept waking up at the interesting scenes, sometimes adding his two cents worth. A few other people were scattered about, all watching the movie. Some, he was startled to see, had brought blankets and pillows with them and looked ready to spend the night.

Donovan chewed his lip thoughtfully. When he'd first seen Tyler standing in their old headquarters, he had reacted to him as he'd always done, with an edge of antagonism and hostility fueled by the knowledge of what the man did for a living. The others had followed his lead, not totally trusting the man and definitely not liking him and Tyler's arrogant, contemptuous attitude toward them had helped reinforce that. It had been, he knew now, deliberate, meant to keep them at a distance so they wouldn't realize he wasn't human.

After the revelation of Tyler's alien origins, he had expected people to trust him even less and some did. But, Donovan had to admit, as Tyler shed the tough-guy image he'd worn for so long, he had become more and more likable and others let the memories of Tyler's old self slide from their minds. Since they only knew him for a short period, it had been easy for them to reform their opinions of him. A number of people had come into the group hostile and shell-shocked only to turn out to be very different once they settled into the group and got to know people.

But his memories of Tyler were longer and more deeply embedded. He found it hard to get past what he knew of him. But he'd always prided himself on being open-minded and he tried his best now. He leaned back, watching the movie without really seeing it as his thoughts spun in a circle.


	14. Part Eleven

"Ham! Stop sharpening your damn claws on the floor!" Chris snapped out suddenly and Ham jerked, glancing down to see that he was indeed absently digging his claws into the wood. For a moment he was horrified, wondering what the others would think then he heard the laughter and tentatively smiled.

"I can't help it! It's instinct!"

Chris made a rude noise, not looking away from the TV. "Not the floor, damn it! You got scratching posts."

"They're upstairs." Ham mumbled.

"I wondered what those were for." Alice spoke up, proving that she was not asleep, as she appeared to be.

"Scratching posts?" Julie said at the same time, blinking owlishly.

"Yeah, well." Ham shrugged in obvious embarrassment.

"He's always had to have cats, just so he can explain the scratching posts." Chris said. "And shredded sheets."

"Shredded sheets?" Julie looked at Ham.

"Hey! Claws, sheets, not a good combination!" He dug the claws on his feet into the wood.

"Well, you have a point."

"Several, actually." He flexed his toes, pulling against the wood, feeling the muscles stretch. He swallowed hard, barely managing to restrain a contented purr.

"But ... scratching posts?" Julie looked at him with a frown.

"Not actually scratching posts. They're more like ..." He hesitated, wondering how to explain.

"Kom." Fontana said and Ham looked up in time to catch what the other tossed at him.

"Oh, good." He held the object out. "More like a claw exerciser. See?" He closed his hand around the object, letting his claws dig into the wood then working them. "Sharpens them and strengthens the claw muscles."

Julie blinked at him then turned back to the movie, muttering 'scratching posts' under her breath. Ham grinned, thankful that no one had panicked at yet another reminder that he wasn't human, though Donovan was looking at him strangely.

He had seriously considered continuing to wear boots and gloves, if not pretending to be human at least hiding the most obvious differences but that, he decided, would be too much like lying. Instead he deliberately shed boots and gloves, using his claws when needed and refusing to hide them save when he had to meet with people outside the group. He was happy to see that people were getting use to them. A feature that may have once horrified most of the people in this stable they now accepted without question or even a second glance.

Catching a familiar scent, Ham raised his head, looking toward the doors expectantly. When no one entered, he frowned and rose, making sure to take his bottle of beer with him and away from Sancho, grinning at the disgruntled look the man gave him. A couple people looked after him in puzzlement but he ignored them as he emptied the bottle and tossed it away before slipping outside. He paused, looking around. The sentries were where they should be and he ignored them as he focused the woman pacing nearby, a look of frustration on her face.

"Maggie?" He said quietly and she jumped, throwing him an uncertain look. He frowned. Something was undeniably wrong and he padded closer. "What's wrong?" He asked, wondering if some of the men were ragging her again about her relationship with Bernstein. Though they should know better by now, especially after he'd and Chris had that quiet little talk with a couple of them, where he had demonstrated exactly what his claws could do if he was suitably motivated. That had caused him some problems with the group, at least until the men had admitted why he was giving the demonstration. Sympathy for them had faded very quickly after that.

Maggie's lips thinned. "Before I left the Bernsteins, Lynn gave me some envelopes." Ham nodded slowly. Several of their messages came through the Bernsteins. "She gave me one special." Maggie pulled a sealed envelope from her pocket and took a deep breath, looking Ham directly in the eyes. "She said the person who gave it to her specified that it be given to, and I quote, 'the resistance member with claws'."

Ham's face went blank, his mind churning. His presence here wasn't common knowledge. In fact, the group worked hard to keep it secret. The Bernsteins, on the outer fringes of the resistance, shouldn't have any knowledge of him or his. Slowly, almost blindly, he reached out to take the envelope. Automatically, he raised it up to sort out the scents of the people who had handled it. Maggie, of course, and Lynn Bernstein, whose scent he knew from the numerous incoming messages she had handled. And another scent, one he didn't recognize.

He used a claw to slit open the envelope and pulled out the message inside. Typewritten on a single piece of paper, it was short and to the point. He read the message through once and then again, more slowly.

Maggie watched him, dreading the contents of the message as Ham's face grew more and more remote. When he looked up, his eyes were amber and an almost palpable heat emanated from him. He was, she realized, more furious then she'd ever seen him. "Ham?" She said tentatively. "What's wrong? What is it?"

Ham didn't answer. He turned an amber-eyed gaze toward the barn, letting the paper and envelope slip from his fingers. Maggie was alarmed to see that his claws were unsheathed and his hands shaking with barely controlled anger.

"Ham! No!" She said sharply but it was too late. Ham was already sprinting for the barn. "Damn!" She swore, reaching down to snatch up the note. She read it quickly then swore again, this time in much stronger language before bolting after the man.

------------------------------------------

Caleb looked up as Ham reentered the stable and knew something was wrong immediately. "Chris!" He said sharply as he scrambled to his feet. The big man looked up and swore, shoving Alice toward Fontana before pulling himself up. The others, alerted by Caleb's shout, turned to see what had alarmed him. Donovan almost made it to his feet before Tyler tackled him, sending them both crashing to the ground.

"What the hell!" Julie jumped to her feet, the pleasant alcoholic haze she'd been in fading fast at the sight of Tyler driving a fist into Donovan's face, snarling out heated words in his own language. "Chris?"

Chris shook his head, obviously baffled. It was equally obvious that he was reluctant to interfere and considering Tyler's fierce attack, no one could blame him.

Donovan was giving as good as he was getting now, hitting back with a vengeance. Tyler's head snapped back as Donovan's fist connected solidly with his jaw and he staggered back a couple steps. Julie saw that his claws were unsheathed and she felt her heart sink as she saw blood on them. But it wasn't Donovan's blood, she realized. It was Tyler's, from his efforts not to use his claws on the other man. Tyler was using his fists and that was causing the claws to dig into his own hands. Something had set Tyler off, pushing him into a killing rage but he was obviously trying to control it. She knew she should do something but for the life of her, she didn't know what.

"Julie!" Maggie was next to her, her face grim, shoving a piece of paper at her. "Lynn sent this. It's why ..." She glanced at the fight.

Julie snatched the letter, skimming it quickly, feeling as if the world had stopped. She read the words again and the world restarted. But now her mind was clear and she knew exactly what she needed to do. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward.

"Everyone, stand back." She ordered curtly and everyone obeyed. She was amused to see that Paul and a couple of the others had taken refuge under one of the long tables then she reached the men. They were on the ground again, Tyler on top and she reached down to grab his shoulder tightly, almost wishing his hair was long enough so she could grab _that_ instead. Ignoring someone's warning hiss, she leaned down to speak firmly almost in his ear. "Komees Ihn'e!"

"_There's power in a name. If you truly need my attention use my real name."_

"_The whole thing?" Her voice squeaked._

_Ham grinned in amusement. "No, just my common name will do."_

Tyler's entire body jerked and he hesitated, glancing up at her from the corner of his eye.

"Back off. Now." She continued in the same firm tone. It would be better, she knew, if she spoke in his own language but he'd just have to settle for English. His eyes slid to her fully and then he was up and stepping back. His body was visibly shaking and blood dripped from his lacerated hands.

Nearby, Caleb exchanged glances with Chris and the two men stepped forward to stand between Ham and Donovan, both men secure in the knowledge that, no matter how badly Ham wanted anyone's hide, he wouldn't chance hurting them to get it. Ham flicked a look at them and swallowed hard, stepping back to lean against the RV. His eyes still glinted amber with anger and he gave the impression of being a bare step from exploding.

Satisfied that Tyler had himself under control, Julie turned to Maggie, giving her an inquiring look.

"Lynn sent back a packet of messages. This one she sent back special. To the LA Resistance member who had claws."

Julie threw her a shocked look.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly. I gave it to Ham privately. I think maybe," She said dryly, giving Ham a wry smile. "I should have read it first."

Ham felt his anger ease at her look and he sagged as the adrenaline rush faded.

"Whoa!" Caleb caught his shoulders to support him until he was sitting on RV's steps. Both men stayed close, watching him warily but Ham's complete attention was on Julie, watching as she re-read the letter. He could read her emotions through both expressions and scent. Disbelief, anger, horror ...

Julie looked up to see Ham watching her. Ham, she saw, believed what the letter said. A part of her wanted to deny it could ever happen but another part of her knew it was very possible. But then again, it could just be an attempt to tear the Resistance apart and Ham was overreacting. Not that she could really blame him.

"You bastard! What the hell was that all about?" Donovan shouted suddenly and she turned to look at her lover. There was a trickle of blood oozing from his nose and he was glaring at Ham. Ham glared back with teeth bared slightly, body visibly tensing but Caleb grabbed his shoulder, shaking him firmly. Ham glowered at him but stayed where he was.

Donovan tried to shake off Father Andrew's hand but the priest had a surprisingly strong grip. "Hey! I want to know what the hell's going on!" He glanced at the letter in her hand. "What's that?" He asked sharply.

"A time bomb." The words slipped out before Julie could stop them. She glanced around quickly, seeing that everyone was still present except for ... then she saw the missing three. Linda, Fontana, and Alice had taken refuge in the loft and were watching warily from there. The doors of the stable were closed firmly and, since they did tend to get loud, no one had come to investigate. She turned back to Donovan, feeling strangely detached. "Who did you meet with over the last two nights?" She asked abruptly.

"What?" Donovan blinked then his eyes slid from her almost guiltily. "What's that got to do with anything? Damn it, Julie!"

"It has everything to do with it, Donovan. According to this," She raised the letter. "Over the last two nights, you've been meeting with your mother." That caused a stir. "To make plans to get your son back by trading Tyler for him." Julie had suspected what that announcement would bring so she didn't even flinch at the sudden crash of bodies as Tyler tackled the attacking Fontana. The two _Barbarosians_ crashed into a chair, shattering it and everyone scattered, standing well back as Tyler wrestled Fontana into immobility. Tyler was speaking sharply in their native language, words that were half-command, half-plea.

"Damn, I wish Polly were here to translate." Robert muttered as, after a moment, Fontana snarled out something that was apparently agreement. Tyler released him and Fontana rose, glaring at Donovan balefully before climbing back up into the loft and out of sight.

"Where's he going?" Donovan snapped and Tyler turned on his knees to look at him. Blood ran from the new gashes left by Fontana's sharp claws.

"Why?" He half-spat. "Who you planning on trading _him_ for?"

"It's not like that!"

"Then what is it like?" Julie said curtly. Tyler, who had been preparing to say something more, closed his mouth and started to stand.

"Sit down." Robert said sharply, moving to Tyler's side and pushing him firmly into the easy chair. "Before you fall down."

"Don't need blood on the chair." Tyler protested.

"To hell with the chair." Robert said bluntly. "Alice, can you find the med kit?"

"Already got it. Here." Alice dangled the kit by its strap then let it drop into Robert's waiting hands.

As Robert busied himself with fixing Tyler up, the others were staring at Donovan with varying degrees of disbelief, disgust, and anger.

"Hey! What makes you think that it's true?"

"Well, for one thing you haven't denied it! Damn it, Donovan! What the hell did you think you were doing!?" Julie came close to shouting.

"I was planning on telling you!"

"When? When you came back with your son? 'This is Sean and, by the way, I had to trade our one and only military expert to Diana in order to get him back!'"

Donovan felt his face flame. "I was trying to figure out what to do!"

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Julie was closer to tears then she wanted to admit.

"I haven't had a chance!"

The urge to cry vanished in a surge of anger. "You've had two days. You've had all day today." She paused, remembering their earlier conversation. "That's why you wanted to know ... what? Were you looking for something to justify what you were planning?"

"Damn it, Julie! Let me see that!" Donovan snatched the letter from her hand

"Ham! No!" Julie said sharply and Donovan jerked his head toward the other man. Tyler was on his feet, glaring at him with narrowed eyes and Donovan realized that the _Barbarosian_ had mistaken his gesture for an attack and responded accordingly.

Julie thrust her hands into her pockets. "So read it. Then you can explain." She said curtly and Tyler stepped back, settling once again in the chair. Donovan stared at him for a long moment then read the letter, heart sinking as he saw the plans completely outlined there, right down to the time and location.

"Julie ..." He looked at the woman desperately but there was no sympathy in her eyes, only a cold anger. "I had to think things out! Some of the things Mother said about Tyler's people ..."

"Great." Maggie said sarcastically. "You're taking the word of a known collaborator whose only information comes from the people we're fighting over that of a valued ally's."

"There are too many gaps in what Tyler tells us!"

"How would you know?" Robert challenged. "You don't listen to what he tells us! And when you do listen, you just automatically assume he's lying!"

Donovan flushed darkly, refusing to admit how true that was. "Look, it's the only way I can get Sean back! Diana's threatening to send him back to their home world in just a few days ..."

"What?" Tyler barked, looking up. "They're sending ships back to their planet?" He saw the answer in Donovan's expression and gritted his teeth. "Deities curse it! Didn't you think we might need to know that?"

"There's nothing we can do about it!" Donovan protested.

Tyler stared at him, feeling a sick churning in his stomach. If it hadn't been for the unknown letter writer, he could very well be on one of those motherships heading for the Visitors' home world. Ignoring Robert's startled protest; he lunged to his feet and stalked toward the door.

"Tyler! Where the hell are you going?" Donovan yelled and he could hear panic in the man's voice. Right. If he left, taking Fontana with him, Donovan wouldn't have anyone to trade for his kid.

"Away!" He snarled back, reaching for the doors.

"Komees Ihn'e!" Julie's voice cut through his anger and he stopped dead, digging his claws into the door's wood before turning to look at her, his face remote.

Julie looked back, not knowing why she had used his real name this time but somehow sensing that was the only thing that would have stopped him. She realized something else as well, that she could order him to stay and he would. She could even order him to participate in the trade and, again, he would, even if it put him into Diana's hands. For the first time, she realized how much power Ham had given her. That realization cleared her head and fed her determination.

"When will you be back?" She asked, almost smiling at the surprise that flickered through his eyes.

Ham hesitated, looking around the group. "Three days. No more then four." He said finally and Julie nodded curtly.

"Report to me immediately when you get back." She ordered and Ham nodded, shoving the door open and slipping through the opening, closing it firmly behind him.

"You're just going to let him leave?" Donovan half-shouted.

"Why not?" Maggie said resentfully. "You do it all the time."

"That will be changing." Julie said as she turned back to the group. Something nagged at her mind but since she couldn't remember what it was, she shoved it firmly out of the way. "We don't need Ham for the next few days." She looked directly at Donovan. "And since he's obviously afraid you will try to trade him for your son, it might be best if he was out of arm's reach until the danger's past."

Donovan went white. "Damn it, Julie! This is my son we're talking about!"

"It's also Ham's life we're talking about." She said curtly. "And you have no right to give that life to anyone, least of all someone who would happily spend years taking him apart."

Donovan glanced around for any sign of support, heart sinking when he saw none. "Come on! Most of you would do the same if it was your kid! Hell, Robert, you traded the damn camp for Robin!"

Robert paled, his lips thinning. "And I paid for it big-time. And I'm still paying for it, and I will always be paying for it." He said coldly and Donovan flushed, already regretting his words.

Julie closed her eyes, feeling ill. At that moment, the nagging thought that had been pestering her broke through and she opened her eyes, stepping around Donovan before turning to face him again. He turned with her.

"What if Ham wasn't here?" She asked curtly, aware of a surprised stir through the group but she ignored it, focusing on Donovan, making him focus on her. "Who would you have traded then? Me? Robin? Martin?"

"You know I'd never do anything like that!"

"Why not? You've been making arrangements to trade one of us for your son. How can I believe you wouldn't just as easily trade someone else?"

"Hardly one of _us_." Donovan snapped then paused at the reaction those words caused. "Look, Tyler's been running a game since day one but no one here seems able to see that!"

"Maybe we can't see it because he hasn't been running a game." Caleb said. "Maybe you just want to believe that because it gives you an excuse to go through with the trade."

Donovan glared at him, flushing angrily, remembering the times when he'd wondered the same thing. "Leopards don't change their spots." He muttered.

To everyone's surprise, Chris gave a sharp bark of laughter. "Yes, they do. Occasionally they exchange them for saber-tooth tiger stripes."

Despite the seriousness of the discussion, or maybe because of it, laughter rippled through the group. Julie blinked at Chris and he shrugged, obviously embarrassed.

"A variation on an old _Barbarosian_ saying. Ham used to say it about ..." His eyes flickered to one side. "About Linn. About his wife. And his sisters." He grinned suddenly. "And pretty much any female he's dealt with for very long."

Julie's amusement faded and she looked back at Donovan almost sadly. "Why didn't you just tell us?" She demanded.

Donovan scowled, turning his attention back to Julie. "Look, I was planning on telling you in the morning!"

"That's easy to say now." Chris pointed out harshly and Donovan glared at him.

Julie shook her head as if to clear it then frowned, thinking intently. "We need to talk this out. Maggie, could you go get Ham? He's probably on the roof. Or some rooftop." Donovan looked at her in surprise and Julie smiled grimly. "Unlike some people, Ham never leaves the camp without telling me or Chris where he is going, how long he'll be gone, and how to contact him." Julie said quietly. "Never." She reached out to take the letter from him. "You said you were going to explain. So explain. Now."

------------------------------------------

As the buildings in the town were fixed up, more and more people had moved from the trailer-dorms. The Maxwells had remained, more for the sense of something familiar then anything else and now had pretty much all of one trailer, save for the small room that Julie and Donovan shared.

Unable to sleep, Robin slipped from the bed, reaching for her robe. The door to the couple's room was open and noises were coming from it as well as the sound of someone muttering in a low voice. Curious, Robin walked over to peer in; shocked at the sight of a grim-faced Fontana crouched on the mattress, searching through the drawers.

"What's going on?" She blurted out.

Fontana tossed a shirt to one side. Or rather, what was left of a shirt. Fontana's claws were out and whether he meant to or not, they were leaving slashes in the cloth.

"Donovan has been planning to trade Kom to Diana for his son." He said curtly.

"What? No, he ..." Robin stifled the knee-jerk response and thought about it. "And you're looking for?"

"Even the stupidest _phrashi_ wouldn't approach a conscious _Barbarosian_. They had to have given him something to knock Kom out."

"He could have it on him." Robin pointed out, dimly aware of a sleepy-eyed Polly standing behind her, listening.

Fontana flicked a grim look at her. "I'll search him next."

"That might be interesting to see. Wait! That's Julie's!" Robin maneuvered herself into the room and knelt next to Fontana. "You search Donovan's stuff. I'll take care of Julie's. She doesn't deserve to have her stuff destroyed."

"I'll help. You two stick to the clothes and I'll search elsewhere." Now wide-awake, Polly joined them, tearing the bedding up and slipping her hands into tight spaces.

Fontana hissed suddenly and pulled something from out of a shoe. Robin looked at the item with a shiver. "I've seen something like that. On the mothership. It's like a ... what do you call it?" She gestured. "Hypodermic."

Fontana nodded grimly. "Whatever is in it would have to be strong enough to immobilize a _Barbarosian_ long enough for the Visitors to ..." He cut off his words and looked up as a horrified Harmony appeared in the doorway.

"What?"

Robin hastily explained. Like her, Harmony's first reaction was to deny it but once she thought about it, her face turned as grim as Fontana's. She held out her hand.

"I'll take it over. Fontana, you stay with the girls."

Robin started to protest that she didn't need a babysitter but stopped at a sharp look from the woman, realizing that having Fontana here was better then having him anywhere near Donovan. Fontana looked at the two of them, obviously wanting to confront Donovan but, finally, he handed the device to Harmony.

"Try to get those claws sheathed." Harmony said curtly. She looked at Polly, who had abandoned her search and was now grimly wielding a pair of scissors. "And you two get back to bed. Soon." She looked at the device she held. "I suspect tomorrow is going to be a busy day."

------------------------------------------

As Donovan finished outlining the meetings he'd had with his mother, Julie began to pace, her face angry. "I can't believe this! No. No, actually I can."

"I didn't have a choice!"

"You had plenty of choices! You could have told me! You could have told Ham!"

"You could a told the bitch to go to hell." Tyler cut in and Donovan whirled on him.

"Just because you'd let your own kid fry ..."

Tyler's face went white and he lunged for Donovan, claws first.

"Ham, no!" Julie stepped between them and Tyler jerked his hands back against his chest, twisting to miss the woman. He landed hard on his side, curling around his hands, breathing harshly through clenched teeth.

Donovan suddenly found himself hitting the RV hard, propelled by Chris' broad hand around his throat. The big blond man's eyes were colder then Tyler's ever were as he shook Donovan like a rag doll. "Don't go there." He hissed. "Don't you _ever_ go there." Then he released the man and stepped back.

"That's the last time I'm going to stop him, Donovan." Julie said remotely. "If he goes for you again, you're on your own. You won't do anyone any good dead. And I don't think Diana will reward you for delivering _him_ dead." She turned to the man on the ground. "Ham?"

With Caleb and Robert's help, Tyler was climbing back to his feet. There were new wounds on his chest, caused by his own claws. "I'm okay." He said curtly, ignoring the blood trickling down his chest.

"Sit down." Julie ordered and Tyler reluctantly obeyed. She turned to Donovan, pointing at another chair. "You, too." She looked around the group. "Everyone else, please sit down." She watched as everyone found a seat, knowing they were all tired and some were still a little drunk but knowing that they had to hash this out tonight. "I think we need some coffee."

"I'll make it and bring it over." Leaving the door slightly ajar, Harmony walked over to Julie and offered her the alien device. "I think you'll need this."

"How ..." Julie started to ask as she took the device.

"Fontana found it hidden with Donovan's clothes."

Tyler gave a sharp bark of laughter. "Donovan have any clothes left?"

"Let's just say that what Fontana hasn't shredded, Polly's cutting into small pieces with a pair of scissors. By now, Robin's probably helping them."

Julie gave her an alarmed look. "My clothes!"

"Are fine. Robin rescued them."

"Good. And Fontana?" She threw a concerned look up at the loft but only Linda and Alice were up there.

"I asked him to stay with the girls. I think it might be best if he stays there for awhile."

"Good idea." Tyler grunted. "He'll have to calm down around them."

Julie nodded in agreement. "Thanks, Harmony. And thanks for the coffee as well."

Harmony nodded and left the stable, closing the door firmly behind her. Julie looked at the device she held before setting it carefully on the top of the TV. She turned back to Donovan.

"You were planning on going through with it." She ignored Donovan's protests. "But you were so busy trying to find ways of justifying it that you didn't bother to think about the consequences. What were you going to do when you came back with Sean and no Ham? Didn't you think we'd figure it out? Didn't you think about what Chris' reaction would be? Fontana's? Or were you planning on just not coming back?"

Donovan's face burned. "I hadn't thought that far ahead." He mumbled.

Julie saw Tyler open his mouth and shot him a stern look. He swallowed what he was planning on saying and glared back. "Hey! He was planning on handing me over to that lizard bitch on a silver platter!" He snarled. "I think I have the right to add some commentary!"

"Ham, please." She said quietly and Tyler looked at her for a long moment before nodding. He leaned forward, elbows on knees, amber eyes locked on Donovan.

"Donovan, I lead this group and I have to think of what's best for the entire group. And while I understand your reasons, I can't forgive the fact that you were planning on handing over the one man in this group who knows how to fight this war - someone who's been getting us weapons and equipment and financial aid - over to the Visitors without a single thought of how that action would affect this group. Did you ever consider what affect that action would have on our relationship with the world network? With Ham's people? Did you really think that either would continue to help us when they found out that one of our people had traded one of their people for someone else?"

Donovan flinched, realizing that he had never once thought about that. He started to speak but Julie overrode him.

"Not to mention what would happen when Tyler broke and told them everything he knew about us and the world network. Not _if_, Donovan, _when_. Even _Barbarosians_ can be broken. It may take longer than a human but then, if you didn't bother to warn us, the time wouldn't matter."

"She doesn't want me for information." Tyler pointed out curtly, reaching out to take the letter from Julie. "She wants me to play with."

Julie shuddered, thinking of some of the things Tyler had told her. "_First they'd take our claws. Then ..._" She shook her head to drive the words away and looked back at the man who'd come to mean so much to her. "I'm sorry, Mike. There won't be a trade." She said, forcing sympathy from her heart. "Even if we didn't need Tyler so much, there is no way anyone is going to be traded for anyone else."

"There_might_ be a way to get the kid back." Tyler said quietly, absently studying the letter and more then one person looked at him in disbelief. Donovan's disbelief was mixed with hope but Tyler ignored him as he looked at Julie thoughtfully. "A slim chance of getting the kid and me getting out alive."

Julie studied him, half-aware of Harmony and Paul setting the coffee urn up on one of the long tables. "How slim?"

Tyler shrugged. "Depends. On the layout of the meet mainly. This letter says it's a warehouse on a pier." He flicked a look at Julie and she frowned, something he had told her niggling at her mind. "We need to know more about the location."

"Donovan?" She asked curtly.

He wavered. "I haven't seen the place in years."

Julie's frown deepened then she sighed. "We can't take the chance."

"But I can describe what I remember!" He shot a hopeful look at Tyler but the alien was looking thoughtfully at Julie. "Tyler, if you could ..." He pleaded.

"No." Julie said curtly and Donovan shot her an angry look. "It's not his decision." Julie crossed her arms, authority etched in every movement. "It's mine."

Donovan blinked at her, surprised then looked sharply at Tyler, who shrugged. "She's the _ba'ze_. It's her decision."

"You have a plan?" Julie asked Tyler.

"I have an_idea_." He corrected. "But we need to know the layout."

Julie absently took the cup of coffee someone offered her and sipped it, grimacing at the taste. It really was getting bad. "How far away is this warehouse?" She asked abruptly.

"Maybe five to seven hours, depending." Donovan said.

"And the meet is less then thirty-six hours away." She said in disgust, glancing around the people in the stable. "I know we're all tired and maybe a bit hung over so I'm asking for volunteers only. I want some of you to go with Donovan to this warehouse and get the specifics of it. Donovan, get all of your cameras together and plenty of film. If there's any chance of pulling this off, we're going to have to work fast."

"Not you, Chris." Tyler cut in quickly. "We'll need you here." The big man stepped back and Julie chose Rico, Paul, and Robert to go with Donovan.

"You can drive with that foot, Rico?" She asked and Rico glanced at the cast on his left foot.

"Yeah, no problem."

"Good. Get pictures and as much information as you can. Watch out for Visitors, I wouldn't put it past Diana to send them down early." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tyler give her an approving look and she almost smiled. "Anything in particular you need, Ham?"

"Take pictures of the area closest to the water. And if you can, take pictures under the pier. See if you can find out how deep the water is there."

Chris looked thoughtful, obviously realizing what Tyler's idea was.

"Okay, head out now." Julie said curtly. "Harmony, can you fill up some thermoses with coffee?"

"Already done." The woman held out two thermoses. Robert took them and the four men left the stable. Once the van was on its way, Julie took a moment to order her thoughts then turned back to the others. "If we go through with this, we'll need some volunteers."

"No." Tyler looked up. "The fewer people the better. Chris and I can handle it."

Julie looked directly at him. "Will having more people involved increase your chances of surviving?" She asked bluntly and Tyler hesitated. "This is a two-way street, Tyler." She saw amusement glint in his eyes at having his own words thrown back at him.

"Yes, it will." He admitted. "But the fewer the better. I want Robert to stay here. And Father Andrew. If this goes bad, they and the girls have the best chance of keeping Fontana under control." He sighed. "At least he's not a berserker."

Julie's lips thinned. _If this goes bad ... First they'd take our claws. Then ..._ She cut that thought off ruthlessly. "You don't have to do this, Ham." She said quietly.

"I know." Tyler looked down at the letter. "But Donovan's kid doesn't deserve this shit. We'll have to be careful though, once we get him. Trinity knows what Diana's already done to him."

Julie nodded, glancing around the room. "Now, for volunteers ..."

Everyone was willing to volunteer, even Sancho, and Julie picked out several, telling the others to please stay quiet about everything that had happened and to go to bed. Tyler caught Linda before she left and spoke to her in low tones before letting her go.

Julie looked at him inquiringly and Tyler shrugged. "I asked her to keep Fontana as busy as she could translating manuals. The less he thinks about it, the better. But if I don't make it back ..."

"Donovan better keep on going." Chris said shortly.

Julie's face tightened. "What's your idea?" She asked.

Tyler explained what he had in mind. By the time he was finished, Julie was shaking her head doubtfully. "There are a lot of holes in that plan."

"If this warehouse is laid out like I hope, it'll work. If it isn't ..."

"Then the plan's off." Julie said bluntly and Tyler nodded.

"We could lose Donovan." Elias said sharply.

Julie felt a stab of pain. "We may lose him anyway." She took a deep breath. "Like I said earlier, if he's willing to trade Tyler for his son, who's to say he wouldn't have been willing to trade someone else?"

To her surprise, Tyler shook his head. "I don't think it would have gone that far. If it weren't for them finding out about me, I think they would have asked for him in exchange. No, I worry more about what would have happened had he'd gone through with this exchange and you hadn't found out about it." He looked directly at Julie. "You're right about Donovan not thinking this through. If he had done the exchange, he would have been under Diana's control forever. All she would have done was threaten to reveal what he'd done. What would Donovan have done to hide that?"

"He could have come back and told us everything." Elias pointed out.

"Maybe. But then what?"

"We would have ..." Julie stopped dead. _First they'd take our claws. Then ..._

"There wouldn't have been anything left for you to rescue." Tyler said gently.

Julie felt her throat tighten. Chris, she could see, knew what Ham was talking about. Everyone else looked confused but she made no move to enlighten them. They had enough nightmares to deal with. "All right then. Chris, can you get the explosives together?"

"Sure. It'll use up all we got though."

"We'll find a way to replenish it later. Everyone else know the basic plan?" Heads nodded all around. "Good. Everyone get some sleep. That includes you, Tyler. We'll meet again when they get back." She glanced at Tyler. "Do you need stitches?"

"I don't think so." He looked down at his wrapped hands. "I'll need some good bandaging up before we leave though."

Julie nodded. "I'll send Fontana over."

------------------------------------------

Julie found Fontana sitting cross-legged on one of the empty beds in the trailer. The three girls were fast asleep and she motioned him outside to talk. "It's safe to go back now."

"Is it?" She couldn't read the look he gave her. "Where's Robert?"

"He and some of the others went to look over the proposed meeting place." Anger flashed in Fontana's eyes but Julie didn't flinch. "Ham's idea."

"Your orders?" Fontana said curtly and she shook her head.

"No."

She wasn't sure he believed her as he turned away, heading for the stable. She climbed back into the trailer, heading for the small room she had been sharing with Donovan. There was a pile of rags, all that was left of Donovan's clothes, to one side of the door. Her clothes were still folded neatly in the dresser but the sheets and blanket were off the bed. Julie scooped up a couple pillows and the blanket, dragging them into the main room and making up one of the unused beds to sleep in. Finally she curled up under the blanket, feeling incredibly lonely.

------------------------------------------

Ham looked up as Fontana entered the makeshift room, refusing to flinch at the other's harsh look. "I've made my choice." He deliberately spoke in English and Fontana automatically responded in kind.

"One of them sells you out ..."

"_One_of them _almost_sold me out." He stressed the pertinent words. "More of them are helping me." He paused, studying his lover. "If the plan has little chance of working, Parrish will refuse to allow it."

Fontana threw him a scornful look as he stripped off his shirt. Ham tensed then forced himself to relax. "She loves him."

"She is a_ba'ze_." Ham said gently and Fontana flinched. The humans thought that word meant leader and, in a way, it did. But to them, it meant much more. A _ba'ze_ was the rarest of the rare, a true commander. Ham watched Fontana pace, his hands working. The claws were sheathed, for which Ham was grateful. It meant Fontana had his anger under control.

Then Ham found himself pinned to the ground, looking up into Fontana's eyes as the other's fingers wound into his hair. _Barely under control_, he corrected himself.

"Come home with me."

"I can't." A growl rose from Fontana's throat but Ham refused to back down. "I have a duty here."

Fontana snarled some choice words about duty and Ham bared his teeth in a slight smile. "Don't bitch at me about duty. You're bound by it as well."

Fontana jumped to his feet and was across the room in a blink. "I'm not explaining to your mother that you ended up dead because of some ... " He spat out a series of words Ham wouldn't dare translate in polite company. Or impolite company, for that matter.

"You won't have to. I don't plan on dying."

"You do and Donovan's dead." Fontana said.

"You'll probably have to stand in line." Ham said, amused then gestured for Fontana to stop pacing and rejoin him. Fontana growled but finally collapsed back on the makeshift bed.

Ham laced his fingers behind his head and stared at the ceiling. "You'll keep your promise? The girls, if they still want ..."

Fontana gave a short laugh. "Polly's already packed, Robin started packing tonight."

"I figured. Your promise?"

"I always keep my promises." He joined Ham in staring at the ceiling. "So many things could go wrong."

"Yes. But if we do it right ... "

Fontana's eyes narrowed thoughtfully then he chuckled. "Something tells me that you're going to use Donovan's screwup in ways he never imagined."

"And he deserves every bit of it."

------------------------------------------

The foursome arrived back at the base about the middle of the afternoon, totally exhausted. Caleb and Sancho met them as they arrived. "We're set up in the saloon. Got the film?"

Donovan handed the packets of exposed film to Caleb, who passed it to Sancho. The little Mexican turned and headed immediately for the makeshift darkroom set up in one of the trailers.

"Ian'll get those developed and over to us. Got video, right? Good. Let's see if this mess will work." Caleb turned on his heel and headed for the saloon.

"Do you think it'll work?" Donovan asked, a desperate note in his voice.

"Honestly? No, I don't." Caleb said bluntly. "It'll take a lot of skill and a lot of really good timing and a hell of a lot more luck. But Tyler's willing to give it a try." He shot a cold look at Donovan. "Why, I have no idea." He glanced over at Rico and Paul. "Why don't you two head for bed? You look beat."

"No problem. I don't think either of us could add anything to what Robert can tell you anyway." Paul said with obvious relief. "Come on, Rico." The two men stumbled off on the directions of their beds.

The party of volunteers scattered around the saloon didn't even bother to look up as they entered. Father Andrew, Elias, and Maggie were at one table cleaning and double-checking weapons. Chris, Alice, and a newcomer named Nick Lenner were at another table, putting together explosives with deceptive ease. Julie and Harmony sat with Tyler, bandaging his injuries.

"I need to wear gloves over those." Tyler was saying and Julie nodded as she wrapped his hands.

"You may have to wear a size bigger." She looked up but there was no happy greeting in her eyes for her lover. She just gave them all a curt nod. "Well?"

"Ian's developing the film now. But we have the video ..." He glanced at Tyler and after a moment of staring at Julie, the former newsman went to the VCR and slipped the video in. They all watched in silence as the picture of an obviously empty warehouse appeared on the screen. Donovan started to speak but Robert beat him to it.

"We did a recon around the place. No Visitors that we could see but some evidence that they had been there." He walked over to the TV. "The photos should be better but you can see that the warehouse is built over the water."

Tyler rose and walked over to stand next to Robert, watching the screen closely as the scene shifted to under the pier. "How deep is the water underneath and around the pier?"

"It varies." Donovan cut in. "Twenty to thirty feet depending. Deeper once you get away from the pier itself."

Tyler stared at the video for a long moment then turned to Julie. "It might work."

Julie stared at the video. "It might. Robert, the girls are with Fontana." She paused as Polly suddenly appeared, arms full of enlarged photos. She dropped them on the nearest table and threw herself into her father's arms. Julie smiled. "At least I thought they were."

"I'm just running photos back and forth!" Polly said as she released her father and ran back out the door.

"They must have finally run out of your clothes to cut up." Harmony said to Donovan.

"Did they really?" Robert didn't sound surprised.

"Oh, Trinity, did they." Tyler didn't look away from the video. "Big pile of rags. Of course, Fontana would have preferred a big pile of blood and bone ..."

"I thought that only worked if you had a _Rathorn_ to feed it to." Alice said innocently and Tyler gave her a surprised look.

"You have been listening to our talks."

"Hey, when you start a sentence '_The__Rathorns__ are the only sentient species in the known universe who can legally kill and consume other sentient beings ..._', one does tend to sit up and take notice."

"That's enough." Julie said sternly, hiding a smile at the look on Donovan's face. "Robert, go get some sleep"

Robert wavered. "If you need help ..."

"We'll get you." Julie glanced at Tyler. "Ham is of the opinion that you and the girls might be able to keep Fontana under control if ..." She stopped, not wanting to say the words out loud.

"If he goes anywhere claws first, I am not getting in his way." Was all Robert said as he left.

Tyler turned from the video to watch him go then walked over to where Julie was setting out the photos.

"Go get some sleep, Donovan." He ordered and Donovan flushed angrily, looking an appeal at Julie. She ignored him as she studied the photos.

"I want to know what the plan is." He said curtly.

"And I want to make it to the thousand year anniversary of the Jubilation when it comes around. Not telling you the plan gives me a better chance of reaching it. So go away!"

"Donovan." Julie cut off whatever the other man was going to say. "You haven't slept in over twenty-four hours and you're going to need to be alert so go get some sleep. And stay as far away from Fontana as you can."

Donovan stared at her, willing her to turn around but Julie just pointed something out to Tyler on one of the photos. He looked around for some indication of support but there was no sympathy in any of the eyes looking at him. They were, he realized, waiting for him to leave and he finally did, realizing, at last, what his intended actions were costing him.

Once Donovan was out of the building, Julie let her shoulders sag. "Damn it!"

"You're doing the right thing, Julie." Father Andrew said gently. "Frankly, no one would blame you at all if you nixed this plan completely."

"It's tempting as hell." She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "But if it has a chance of working and you're willing to go through with it, Ham ..."

"Fontana thinks I'm insane." Ham said. "But I can't _not_ go through with it. We need Donovan. He's one of the most visible members of the Resistance. If we don't do this, he'll leave and Trinity knows where he'll end up."

"You think he'll try to hurt the group?" Julie asked tightly. Obviously she had thought about this herself.

"I don't know. He's not reasonable where his son is concerned. Despite what he thinks, I understand what's driving him but, in his own way, he's brought it on himself." Ham sighed. "He told his mother that Sean was on the mothership. He had to have suspected that she'd ask her _friend_ Steven to find the boy for her. Maybe he hoped ..."

"He'd just give her the boy. Damn them both! Neither of them thought beyond what they wanted!" Julie said in frustration then she took a deep breath. "Okay, so what do we have?"

Conversation broke off as Polly appeared with another armload of photos. She made a face at the adults, knowing full well they had broken off their discussion to keep her from hearing what they were saying before running back out again.

"Where'd she get that knife?" Father Andrew asked suddenly.

"Fontana gave it to her. He gave one to Robin too. It took a bit of talking to convince him not to give one to Katie as well. I had to remind him that, unlike home, children here do not learn to use knives before they can walk." Ham took a marker and started making marks on a couple of the photos. "Can you get the explosives attached to these pilings?" He asked Chris.

Chris looked them over and grunted. "If we can get a boat, we can slip right under it and get them set up slick as a whistle. Otherwise, we're going to need some strong swimmers."

"I'll get a boat." Elias spoke up.

"Good." Ham looked at the photos again, frowning.

"Will this plan work?" Julie asked bluntly.

"If nothing goes wrong, it'll work."

"And if it doesn't, you're dead. Or worse." Julie gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to dismiss the plan outright. She hated being the one who had to make these decisions! "And then there's the added danger of Donovan blowing it."

Elias shifted uneasily. "He wouldn't blow it on purpose."

"He might." Caleb spoke up. "He might decide his chances of getting Sean back are better if he really does give them Tyler. All he has to do is get word to the right person."

"Trading me for Sean is one thing." Ham cut in. "He hates my guts, he thinks I'm the cause of his troubles. Even now he's looking for a way to blame me for all this. But you guys are different. I don't think he'll endanger you and if he blows this then you guys will be royally screwed as well. And this base and everyone in it. And quite possibly the whole of the Resistance. He may not have thought of that before but I think he realizes it now."

"I'll pound that fact into him before you leave. I still think I should go with you." Julie said but Ham shook his head.

"We need you here in case it does go bad. You'll need to move everything and everyone, fast. Let's go over the plan once more. Then we get to work."

------------------------------------------

As he walked to the trailer, Donovan could feel the glare of eyes. He looked around furtively but he couldn't see anyone watching him. Even the loft was empty and he wondered briefly where Fontana was. But he couldn't get rid of feeling of glaring eyes.

'_Guilty conscience._' His subconscious asserted and he shook his head. Maybe he had been wrong in not telling Julie immediately but while watching the movies, he had decided to tell her in the morning. Hadn't he?

'_Of course you had._' There was a definite sneer in his subconscious now and he winced. Quickly he climbed up into the trailer and away from those unseen eyes.

The trailer was empty except for Robert, fast asleep on one of the bunk beds. Donovan ducked hastily into the little bedroom, wincing again at the sight of his ruined clothes. Even the shoes and boots had been cut up. The sheets were torn off the mattress and he threw them into some semblance of order, along with the one pillow left on it. Eyes narrowing suddenly, Donovan opened up a drawer in the dresser then another, thankful to see Julie's clothes were still there. He threw himself onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Okay, maybe he was wrong. But they could have gotten Tyler back eventually. The_Barbarosian_ could have survived what Diana had planned, no way could Sean have! Maybe he should have somehow offered Fontana instead ... if he had told his mother when Fontana's ship left, then they could have gotten him without anyone here the wiser. Of course, he would have had to find a way to keep the girls from leaving with him and ...

His mind whirled in a series of what ifs and what could have beens until, much to his surprise, he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.

------------------------------------------

Ham splashed water on his face and then over his hair before gripping the side of the sink and staring down into it, hating the fear that was crawling through his mind and making his stomach churn. The anticipation was the worst, thinking of what could happen if this all went wrong. Deliberately, he forced the thoughts away, burying them deeply before looking up.

He was almost surprised at his appearance. He couldn't do much about his hair but he'd shaved off the beard, returning, at least physically, to the Ham Tyler of before. He pulled on a black T-shirt and stepped from the bathroom.

Chris glanced up from the satchel he was packing and almost smiled.

"You're gonna scare the children."

"You think?" Ham half-smiled back before collapsing into a chair. "Seen Fontana?"

"He's teaching the girls more _Barbarosian_. Took them out to the north field. To resist temptation, I think."

Ham grunted, reaching for the rifle resting on a nearby table. It was well-oiled and maintained, as was all their equipment. A sniper scope was attached to the barrel and Ham opened the rifle to look into the chamber. Hollow-point bullets, guaranteed to mushroom, doing the maximum amount of damage possible. He clicked it closed, not looking at his friend.

"You can call it off, Ham." Chris said gently. "No one is going to blame you." Ham threw him a look and he corrected himself. "No one that matters."

"I know." He set the rifle down. "When are you leaving?"

"As soon as I get finished with this. Paul's double-checking the vans and packing up extra gasoline, in case the boat Elias gets needs it."

"Where's he getting a boat from anyway?"

"We're making it a point not to ask him that." Chris said firmly as he reached for the rifle. "We leave now, we should hit the rendezvous just as it's getting dark. We can get all set up and be ready for when you guys arrive in the morning." He paused, staring at the gun in his hands. "I don't want to have to use this, bro."

"No more then I want you to."

There was a pounding on the door and Chris reached over to open it. Caleb looked in. "The vans are packed and ready. Everybody's set." He glanced at Ham. "Paul's working on your van now."

"I'll be out in a minute." Chris said and Caleb nodded, closing the door firmly. Chris was silent for a long moment then shook his head. "Jesus, Ham! If Donovan blows it!"

"Take care of the kid."

Chris fumbled to a stop then sighed. "I will." He glanced at his friend, wondering how Donovan could be so blind when it came to Tyler. Even Donovan's sidekick had known Tyler better then the newsman ever did. Chris' lips quirked. How well Tony had really known Tyler was something he seriously doubted Donovan would ever know. Or would want to know, for that matter.

"See if you can send the kid off with Fontana. That would be the best thing for him." Tyler rose, not resisting as the big man pulled him into a tight hug. After a long moment, they stepped apart, Chris reaching down to pick up the satchel.

Grabbing up a dark windbreaker, he followed Chris from the stable and to the van where the others waited. Several people looked at him strangely and he realized that while they had managed to keep the reason for this mission under wraps, most people probably suspected what it was about. Or maybe they just found his change in appearance more alarming then he thought it would be.

He paused, looking around. Julie was with the others but Donovan wasn't anywhere in sight. Probably still sleeping. Well, that would keep him out of the way.

"All set?"

"About as set as we're going to be." Caleb grunted.

"Just follow the plan." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Chris set the rifle carefully in the back of the van, the satchel near it. "You should still be in the infirmary." He said to Sancho.

Sancho raised his hands. "I'm driving the other van, _amigo_. That's all."

"And you?" Ham looked at Rico, sitting in the driver's seat.

"I know the way there. Not even getting out of the van."

"All right. Be careful."

"You, too." Caleb said as he slipped into the passenger seat. The others scrambled into their places and Rico started the van, pulling away. Sancho walked over to the second van, climbing into the driver's seat. Harmony was already in the passenger seat next to him, Alice sitting in behind her.

"Will this work?" Harmony asked anxiously.

"Yes." Ham said firmly. "Go."

He and Julie stepped back as the second van pulled away.

"You sound certain of that." Julie said once the van was on its way.

"I have to be. If I go in thinking it'll fail, I might as well just stay home and pull the sheets over my head. Uh?" He looked down as something ran full-force into his leg. "I seem to have acquired a growth." He said solemnly to Julie. "With blond pigtails."

Katie giggled, arms wrapped around Ham's leg and, despite the situation, Julie found herself smiling. Looking up at the man, Katie said something slowly in _Barbarosian_.

"Very good. You even have the accent correct." He looked up and around until Robert caught his eye. The other man made a gesture toward the woods and Ham nodded in understanding. "Yes, I'll join you for supper tonight."

Robert smiled. "You girls run ahead and get a table. We'll be right there." Once the girls were out of earshot, he continued. "Fontana said he'll meet you in the loft later. I think he's trying to stay away from Donovan."

"Good for him." Ham grunted. "Join us, Julie?"

"Yeah, thanks. I'll re-wrap your hands after we eat."

Ham looked down at his bandaged hands and grimaced. "I wish we healed as fast as people seem to think we do."

------------------------------------------

Donovan slept fitfully, finally waking about sometime after midnight. He opened his eyes, hoping to see Julie asleep next to him but she was nowhere to be seen. After spending several minutes wallowing in self-pity, he finally rose and automatically reached for clean clothing; remembering too late that his clothes had been unceremoniously shredded. Pulling on yesterday's clothes, he slipped from the room. Robert and the girls were all fast asleep in their beds and he climbed quietly from the trailer, nodding curtly at the sentry nearby.

Walking over to the general store, he searched through the piles of clothes until he found some that would fit and headed for the showers. Finally feeling clean, at least physically, he stepped back out into the street to find Julie waiting for him. She spoke before he could.

"You'll have to leave within the hour. The van's all ready." She gestured at a dark van parked nearby.

"The others?" Donovan glanced around.

"Already gone." She glanced up at the loft. "Ham'll be down in a few minutes." She turned and started toward the van.

"Julie ..." Donovan hurried after her.

"There's coffee and food in the van. Ham will tell you what you need to know on the way."

"Julie, damn it! I had every intention of telling everything yesterday morning!" Donovan almost shouted and Julie threw him a stern look.

"Keep your voice down." She ordered curtly. "And it doesn't matter now. This plan has a slim chance of succeeding and if it weren't for the fact that Ham's willing to give it a try, I'd call it off completely." She shook her head in frustration. "Damn it, Mike!" She took a deep breath. "I need you. I need your support, your help, you! But this group needs Tyler. We need his skills and his contacts and his training. As leader, I have to put the needs of the group over my own."

"What's the plan?" Donovan asked as he leaned against the van.

"Ham'll tell you what you need to know on the way."

"Damn it, Julie! This is my son we're talking about!"

"It's also Ham's life we're talking about." Julie shot back.

"Diana doesn't want him dead. He could have survived until a plan was put together to get him back."

He never saw the blow coming and he never would have thought such a small woman could hit so hard. When his vision cleared, it was to find himself laying on the ground, looking up the furious woman.

"_First they'd take our claws._" She quoted, hissing the words between her teeth. "_Then they'd cut our eyes so we couldn't see to escape or attack. Sometimes they'd puncture our eardrums so we couldn't hear and if the screaming got too loud, they'd destroy our vocal cords. Occasionally they would break all the bones in our feet, a guarantee that we couldn't escape._" She gulped air, forcibly swallowing the rest of what Ham had told her. "There wouldn't have been anything left to rescue, Donovan. Tyler would have killed himself, if he could. And if he couldn't, the only thing we could have done was kill him ourselves."

Donovan felt sick, realizing he'd never thought about what would be done - could be done - to Tyler. He hadn't wanted to think of it. "She might not have ..." He started, faltering at the look on Julie's face. "We could have ..."

"One of the things Ham told me was how to kill him should something happen and Chris wasn't available." She said coldly. "It is not knowledge I ever want to put to use. Now listen up. You could still get your son back by really giving Ham to Diana but if you do, don't even think of coming anywhere near us again. If Chris or Fontana don't kill you, I damn well will!" She was dangerously close to tears.

Donovan winced as he climbed back to his feet. "Come on, Julie ... I mean you don't even know the real reason Tyler wants Robin sent to his people!" He almost stuttered, still trying to find a way to justify his intentions, if only to himself.

"Actually, I do." Julie said coldly. "So does Robert, Father Andrew, and Robin. And, to a point, Polly. Ham explained it all very thoroughly to us."

Donovan gaped at her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you didn't ask. Because there was no reason to tell you. Because it's none of your damn business!"

The crunch of gravel alerted the couple to Tyler's approach. He glanced at Donovan then at Julie. "Everything ready?"

"Van's packed. Fontana?"

"Trying to figure out if there's anything else he can destroy. Don't worry; I've convinced him to leave the cameras alone. Hopefully Linda, Robert, and the girls will keep him too busy to do too much damage." He glanced up to the loft. Julie followed his gaze, seeing Fontana standing there, the dim light glinting on the double-bladed axe.

"You might want to get in the van, Donovan, in case he decides to throw one of those axes." Julie said before turning back to Tyler. "Gloves?"

Tyler pulled a pair from his pocket. "You're driving, Donovan." He opened the passenger door then paused, looking up once more at Fontana, his face expressionless. After a moment, he looked down, shoving the gloves back into his pocket.

Julie looked at him, frustrated to see the hard, cold man of so long ago then Tyler raised his eyes to meet hers and she saw the man they'd come to know over the past few weeks. Well concealed but still there and she felt a surge of relief. She'd truly hate to go through all this and end up losing him anyway. She looked from him to Donovan, speaking to both of them.

"Good luck." She looked directly at Tyler. "Be careful."

"Be ready to move," was all he said and she nodded.

"I'll start the quick move drill at dawn." She stepped back as Tyler climbed into the van.

Donovan looked at her for a moment, hoping for a more intimate farewell. When none was forthcoming, he gritted his teeth and climbed into the van. Starting it up, he steered out of the camp.


	15. Part Twelve

The trip was made mainly in silence, Tyler ignoring Donovan's attempts at conversation. Instead he spent his time scanning the side of the road. Finally, about an hour away from their destination, he spotted what he'd been looking for.

"Pull over, Donovan."

"What?" Donovan threw him a confused look. "We're almost there!"

"I have to take a leak. And we still have over an hour so pull over."

Donovan scowled but obeyed, watching as Tyler stepped out of the van and into the woods. Right now, he hated the man more then he thought possible and a part of him wanted to make this for real. One thing stopped him though and that was the knowledge of what Julie would think of him. And the realization that his own opinion of himself would match hers.

------------------------------------------

Once out of sight of the van, Tyler paused, letting Maggie come to him.

"Everything set?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah." She offered him the weight belt. "But it's iffy."

"Everything these days is iffy." He slipped the belt on and zipped up the windbreaker over it. "What's the plan?"

Maggie pulled out a handmade map and ran through the pickup plans. After a moment, Tyler nodded. "Looks good. Go on, get back with the others." He grinned at her inquiring look. "I wasn't kidding when I told Donovan I had to take a leak. Now go on, scoot."

Maggie grinned and scooted.

------------------------------------------

Tyler finally sauntered from the woods and walked around the van. "Move over, I'll drive the rest of the way."

Donovan reluctantly obeyed. "What took you so long?"

"Took some time to enjoy the view. Trinity knows when or if I'll have that chance again. Here." He pulled a folded up photo from his pocket. "Red mark is where you ... 'knock me out'."

Donovan looked over the photo, frowning. "All right. Any particular reason for that exact spot?"

Tyler didn't answer, just offered him the alien device. "Julie couldn't figure out how to clean out the cylinder so she just took it out. Be sure to drop it in your pocket afterwards so no one will notice."

"Right." Donovan muttered, noticing Tyler's casual use of Julie's first name, something he'd never done before. That he knew of.

"And here." Tyler handed another piece of paper. "Your instructions once you got your kid and gotten away." He pulled out his gloves and started to work them on over the bandages.

"I thought I just went back to the base." Donovan looked at the paper.

"You never used to be so damn stupid, Donovan." Tyler said sharply. "Diana's going to have homing devices all over that kid and we don't need you leading her right back to the others. So you either go there or you hit the road. Besides," He started the van. "You can't go back without me. Fontana would have your heart. And I don't mean that figuratively." He steered back out onto the road.

Donovan stared at the words on the paper, memorizing them before speaking again. "Look, Tyler, I ..."

"Had a good reason for what you were planning." Tyler finished curtly. "Yeah, you did. In your own mind. But what the hell makes you so damn special, Donovan? Alice has both parents and a little sister missing, Paul's wife vanished, and Rico's entire family as well. Even ..." He paused, not finishing that sentence. "What gives you the right to endanger everyone in some insane scheme to get your kid back? Hell, if anyone else tried this stunt to get one of their loved ones back - trading _anyone_ else in the camp for them - you'd be screaming bloody murder."

Donovan flushed darkly, knowing that what Tyler was saying was true. Not wanting to discuss it any further, he looked out the window.

Tyler fell silent as well, his point made.

------------------------------------------

Julie found herself sitting in the church, staring at the cross hanging on the wall. It wasn't exactly the kind of cross you'd expect to find in a Roman Catholic Church. Ham and Fontana had made it and, for some reason, they had made an ornately carved Celtic cross. Father Andrew hadn't said a word when he first saw it, just helped the duo hang it up. Less then a week later a menorah appeared on the altar and then a copy of the Koran and even a small statue of Buddha.

Many of the residents appreciated Father Andrew's attempts to be multi-denominational but some people objected to the paintings that had begun to appear on the walls to make up for the lack of stained glass windows. Ham had spent the long nights he didn't need to sleep or wasn't standing sentry duty drawing out various scenes. While many were of Earth religions, some were of a decidedly alien nature. Julie herself found them to be fascinating depictions of other species and was even now tempted to get up and enjoy them. But she was just too depressed.

"There is nothing you could have done, you know." Father Andrew's voice came from behind her and she looked over her shoulder to see him sitting in the pew behind her. "Donovan made his choice. Granted it was a bad choice ..."

"A bad choice!?" Julie blurted out, feeling a stab of anger. "He could have destroyed everything! God, if he had succeeded ..." She saw the glint in the priest's eyes and stumbled to a halt, realizing he had gotten the response he wanted. Her anger faded and suddenly she felt incredibly lost. "I just don't understand why Donovan was going to do it. It isn't like him at all!"

Father Andrew leaned forward to rest his crossed arms on the back of her pew. "The 'Gooder' image, you mean? The shining knight on the white horse? He doesn't really exist, you know. Donovan has his flaws. For one, he can be incredibly narrow-minded about certain things. He sees Tyler one way and, despite everything that has happened over the past few weeks, he has refused to see him any other way. To him, everything Tyler has done is a plot. A manipulation for his own ends. He doesn't see the ... the other things Tyler's done. Just because he can do them." He looked around. "This church, for one thing."

Julie smiled suddenly. "Helping me and Harmony make up something Robin can eat without getting sick." The girl's body had craved raw meat, which of course she couldn't stand to eat. Tyler had suggested that wild game, lightly cooked, might help and helped them make up a thick meaty stew. Julie wasn't sure of all the ingredients, all she knew was that it had worked. She sobered. "His attempts to get his personal funds transferred into our accounts."

"Tyler has thrown his lot in with us totally and he deserves some respect for that."

"I know. I'm just not sure what to do about it."

"Both of them ... everyone here for that matter ... needs to know where they stand. Part of the reason Donovan might have thought he could get away with it is because he doesn't understand Tyler's place in this group. No one really does. Is he just a member of the Resistance? Is he an outside advisor? Is he part of the chain of command? And where does Mike stand, for that matter? Is he co-leader? Member of the Resistance? Second in command? What? A lot of people think Mike's your co-leader and no one's too sure where Ham fits in."

"You think I should set up an official chain of command?"

"You need to. And you need to do something else as well." He paused until he was certain he had her attention. "You need to let Donovan know where he stands with you as well. He's not jealous of you and Tyler – yet - but eventually he's going to start seeing things between the two of you that just don't exist."

Julie straightened. "Wait a minute ..."

"Julie, there are already rumors. Totally untrue, I know but ..." He groped for words. "Remember what Chris said, that first meeting? Tyler isn't human and he doesn't think like a human. To him, he can be friends with you or Alice or Harmony or any other woman in the camp and that's all. Friendship, period. But Earth men see a man and a woman being friends and jump to the conclusion that it's a step away from the bedroom. Even when it's the farthest thing from the truth."

"Never mind the fact that Tyler's sleeping with Fontana."

"Fontana's leaving soon. And, as he's stated before, Tyler prefers women. And being what he is, he tends to be ... friendlier than a man who is not involved with a woman would normally be."

Julie thought back on Ham's actions with Fontana in the clearing. Neither of them acted like that in public but how long before Ham forgot? Or, for that matter, they let him forget? He already had a tendency to stand too close. "So I should reassure Mike that nothing is happening and that nothing is ever going to happen." She looked at the priest mischievously. "You sure about that?"

"Yes." Father Andrew said firmly. "You love Mike. Ham ... Ham is interested in someone else." He smiled at the look on Julie's face. "We've talked. Watch him sometimes, with the other women. You'll see."

Julie blinked, wondering. After a moment, she shook her head. "All right, I'll see what I can do." She stood up. "I haven't had breakfast yet. Join me?"

"Sounds good. Oops." Father Andrew reached in to adjust something in his inside pocket, smiling at her expression. "Letters. Ham asked me to deliver them to his family. I want to keep them with me."

"Not Fontana?" She said, surprised and the priest laughed.

"As Ham put it, _'I'll trust him with my life but not with my letters. He'll have them read before he reaches the moon!'_" He paused, his expression once again serious. "You know he gave his medallion to Polly, for safekeeping."

Julie's hands tightened around each other. "Yes." For safekeeping or, though he hadn't said it out loud, for delivery to his family, if he shouldn't make it back. She stood up, looking around the church once again before walking over to one of the paintings, the centerpiece of one wall.

A huge man-bull, what they would call a Minotaur, dominated the scene. _Alago_, Ham had called him. Also known as the All-Father, a supreme Deity for some species, a minor Deity for others but one of the few that appeared in almost all Confederation and some non-Confederation religions in some form or another. Perched irreverently on the Deity's head was a _Kitling_ but the Deity didn't seem to mind. He was too busy keeping an eye on the dice game being played out before him and Julie almost laughed._'All our Gods play with loaded dice'_ Chris had said so long ago and she could believe it. She just hoped and prayed that the dice were loaded in their favor.

"Does Ham pray?" She asked suddenly and Father Andrew looked surprised at the question.

"Not here. Not in the church." He gestured toward the woods. "He goes out there, to the woods. Or sometimes to Ruby's grave." It wasn't really a grave, of course. They hadn't been able to retrieve her body. "I've been tempted once or twice to go with him but ..."

"But?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm almost afraid someone will answer." He shrugged at her look. "Come on, let's get that food." They started for the door, passing by a painting of the Trinity at rest. As she did every time she passed that painting, Julie looked at the middle figure, reflecting that Robert was right in calling that particular race of _Barbarosian_ 'Elves'. With her delicately pointed ears and lavender hair, Nit'shi fit the word perfectly.

"Just remember, Julie." Father Andrew said hand resting on the doorknob. "No matter what, you can't please everyone. Just do what's best for the group and for the Resistance." He opened the door, letting her pass through before following.

Julie grimaced. She hated being the leader, knowing that sometimes she'd have to make decisions that would upset some people. But there was no one else she could trust to do it. Or, at least, do it right. She glanced along the street before crossing and stopped dead at what she saw. Luckily Father Andrew had already stopped or he would have run into her.

"Do you see ..." She started.

"Yes, I do."

"Good. I thought I was losing it." She moved closer to the stable and took a deep breath. "Fontana!"

"What?" The man's voice came from the loft but he couldn't be seen.

"There is a very large hawk walking down the center of our main street!"

There was silence for a moment. "What makes you think I know anything about it?"

"Earth hawks do not come in bright green!"

At that, Fontana appeared in the loft opening, dressed only in a pair of shorts. He looked down at the scene below. "Ully! You heard the lady! Earth hawks do not come in bright green!" There was a pause. "They don't come in lavender either!" Another pause. "Or ... whatever color that is!"

"Looks kinda mauve-ish." Father Andrew commented. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure." Julie looked at the now bright blue hawk standing not ten feet away. "I think it's a friend of Fontana's."

"Ully is part of my ship." Fontana said from behind her and Julie jumped in surprise, not realizing he had dropped down from the loft. He held out his arm and the hawk took to the air, gliding close to rest on the man's fist. "Where's Reginald?"

"Took the low road." The hawk said in a shrill voice. "Be here in maybe an hour. Maybe two."

Fontana glanced at Julie. "You might want to tell your people that if a red fox comes sauntering into camp, they shouldn't shoot at him. He might shoot back."

"Yeah, sure, right. I think we better talk. In the saloon." Julie added, thankful that it was still very early in the morning and most people were still in bed or at breakfast.

"Sure." Fontana followed her over to the saloon. Linda was already there, the manuals spread out on a table. She look up, eyes widening.

"Since when do hawks come in plaid?" She asked.

"Ully, knock it off." Fontana tossed the bird into the air and he glided to land on the back of a chair. "I don't recommend landing there."

"Uh?" Ully looked up.

CRASH!!!

Overbalanced the chair toppled, crashing to the ground, leaving Ully stuck on his back and unable to get upright. He flapped his wings helplessly.

"If this keeps up, I'm gonna start denying I ever knew this bird." Fontana said to Julie.

"Help me up!" Ully shrieked.

"Is he always like this?" She asked, amused.

"Help! Me! Up!" Each word was accompanied by the slam of wings hitting the floor.

"Actually he's being pretty mild right now."

"Help me up or I am going to start singing!"

"Now that's a fate worse then death." Fontana reached down and grabbed Ully's legs, swinging him upright. The bird hunched over, wings partially spread as he glared at the man.

"I can't help but feel that that was a negative comment concerning my singing." He growled balefully.

Fontana tossed the hawk toward the nearby table and Ully landed, muttering under his breath. He paced for a moment, finally pausing to pick up a pen to put in his beak.

"So your ship is here?" Julie leaned against the wall.

"Yeah. She's hiding somewhere close by. With the mothership so close, no way will she be making a peep so she sent her mini-mes out to let me know she's here."

"Mini-mes. Okay. So you'll be leaving ..."

"Tomorrow night." Fontana looked at her expressionless. "Depending on what happens."

Julie started to answer then jumped at a sudden babble of voices behind her.

"What the hell is that?" Hansen started into the saloon then, as the plaid hawk abruptly turned a bright yellowish-orange, decided to stay on the other side of the doors, looking in.

"If I'm not mistaken," Robert stepped into the building, eying the hawk with some amusement and a lot of interest. "That is an _Ish'kirien_"

"Mind translating that for those of us who don't speak anthropologist?" Father Andrew asked with a grin.

"A member of a sentient machine species, one of the three species who founded the Confederation." Robert glanced at Fontana. "Am I right?"

"Yeah, you are."

"Whoa! Now that is wrong!" Ully picked up a pencil and jabbed at the open manual. "Here. This should be ..." Balancing on one leg, he scrawled something on the page Linda had been looking at.

"We haven't translated that yet."

"What translate? That's just wrong. If the _phrashi_ are using this, I'm amazed any of their communication devices are working!"

Fontana moved to look over Linda's shoulder, frowning. "You think the manuals are fake?"

"Eh?" Ully spat out the pen and used his beak to flip pages, looking them over before shaking his head vigorously. "I doubt it. I think it's probably just an error in the manual."

Fontana looked thoughtful. "Robert, you free for a while?"

"Yeah, sure. Why?"

"I was thinking maybe you could help Ully translate a couple of the manuals. He can translate but it would be faster if someone else was doing the writing. I'll keep working on the communications one with Linda but it would be handy to have the weapons and shuttle repair manuals done as well."

"Sure. Let me make sure the girls are doing what they're supposed to be doing and I'll be right back."

Julie followed Robert out the door, not surprised to see a number of residents standing there in a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. "Okay everyone. Back to whatever you were doing. And if you happened to see a red fox stroll into camp, please point him toward the saloon." She sighed and muttered in an aside to Father Andrew. "That's not something I ever thought I'd say."

The priest laughed. "We all seem to be saying things these days we never imagine we would be."

------------------------------------------

"That the warehouse?" Tyler asked, slowing the van to a halt and Donovan looked up from the alien device he'd been fiddling with.

"Yeah." He glanced at his watch. "Ten minutes to nine. Cutting it close."

"There'll be watchers." Tyler glanced at the buildings, noting their abandoned look. Empty and broken crates were scattered about; all the windows were boarded up. "Why was it abandoned anyway?" He asked curiously.

"Too far out. Arthur had hoped to set something up but never had the chance. There was a fishing village around here once."

Tyler steered the van down toward the warehouse, parking carefully just off of the pier. Pulling off his sunglasses, he tossed them onto the dash and looked around; memorizing everything he could before opening the door. "Let's get this over with." He muttered.

"It would help if I knew the plan." Donovan muttered back, feeling horribly uneasy.

"You know your part of the plan and that's all that matters. Now go!"

Donovan stepped out of the van and followed the other man toward a stack of crates. Just short of them, at the spot indicated on the photo, Tyler paused, looking upward.

"Shuttle coming." He said curtly and Donovan nodded, pulling the alien device from his pocket.

"I hope this works." He said tightly.

"Not half as much I do." Tyler's voice was cold, his face as remote as the day Donovan had first seen him in the previous headquarters.

------------------------------------------

Maggie flinched as Tyler fell bonelessly to the ground, hoping fervently that the man was just a real good actor. "Chris?"

"Don't worry." He murmured back. "Ham knows how to take a fall." He turned the binoculars to where the Visitor watchers were. Caleb and Elias were already slipping down to them, taking them out expertly. Taking their weapons, the two men slipped back into the shadows and back to their assigned locations.

Chris nodded in satisfaction. They'd come a long way since he and Ham first saw them in their previous doomed headquarters.

"Shuttle." Maggie murmured and he turned back to watch the alien ship land on the pier not far from Donovan. Four troopers stepped out then Diana, strutting as if she already owned the world. '_Not gonna happen, Lady,_' Chris thought grimly as four more troopers appeared behind her. Good, Donovan wasn't letting them near Tyler until he saw Sean. Diana had the boy, dressed in a brown Youth Corp uniform and looking remarkably calm for the situation, brought out. Only then did Donovan step back and allow a trooper to approach Tyler.

The trooper used his foot to push Tyler onto his back. Ham rolled limply, the epitome of an unconscious man. Crouching next to Tyler, the trooper pulled off a glove, raising the hand to show Diana the exposed claws. Diana smirked, obviously pleased, and gestured for Sean to go to his father. She said something to Donovan that made his face tightened then the man had his son and was pushing him toward the van.

"Get ready." Chris said quietly and Maggie raised her crossbow. He reached down to pick up the detonator strip, glancing down once to confirm the rifle was ready as well. He knew without looking that Caleb and Elias were above them, also ready. "Wait for the signal."

Maggie nodded slightly, already aiming for her target. Diana was circling the fallen Tyler, obviously taking her time gloating over her prize. Ignoring the sickness in her stomach over the thought of what the alien planned for the _Barbarosian_, she watched as Diana finally stopped on Tyler's far side, gesturing her men forward.

Chris gritted his teeth at the sight of the heavy chains the troopers carried. Signal or no signal, there was no way he could allow Tyler to be chained. He drew a thumb lightly over the first button, watching, waiting ...

And then Tyler finally moved, his hand flashing up to claw through one of the trooper's throat. Another trooper, who had just dropped to a knee by him, leapt up and into the path of Maggie's otherwise well-aimed bolt. The woman cursed, reaching for another bolt.

Chris felt a surge of relief, part of him afraid that Donovan had pulled a fast one, and brought his thumb down on the first button. The explosives on the far side of the pier, set by pure chance directly under where the shuttle had landed, began to explode and the pier collapsed underneath it, tilting the shuttle nose-first toward the water before becoming trapped. A second button and the warehouse went up, sending wood flying in every direction. Chris quickly pressed the remaining three buttons before dropping the detonator and reaching for the rifle. He raised it, using the scope to track Ham's progress.

He saw a crossbow bolt strike another trooper, sending him to the wooden pier and then, as the pier started to break apart, into the water below. Chris grinned in satisfaction before finally spotting Ham, up on his feet and sprinting for the end off the pier and the safety of the ocean. The Visitors, even Diana, were too busy trying to dodge flying shrapnel and keep their footing to worry about him. Except for that one ...

Chris spotted the trooper taking deadly aim at his friend and twisted to fire a quick shot. The bullet hit true and he grinned to see the Visitor's head literally explode, torn apart by the mushrooming bullet. '_Better his then Ham's_' he thought to himself before turning back to check on Ham. His heart almost stopped when he realized the pier was collapsing under the man's feet, threatening to send him into the water and possibly into the path of the falling wood.

------------------------------------------

Ham felt the pier collapsing under his feet and he clawed desperately at the wood, cursing the boots that kept him from using all of his claws. '_Not here! If I fall here, I'll be buried!_' He felt his claws catch and he literally scrambled back up onto the still intact part of the pier. Not for long though as more and more of the rotting wood gave way. He ducked his head and sprinted for the water. Not far, just a few more feet ...

Something struck his back hard and he fell, rolling. The last of the pier gave way beneath him and he fell toward the water, fragments of wood falling all around him.

------------------------------------------

Diana hissed curses in her native language as she saw the _Barbarosian_ fall into the water. All those possibilities ... Well, she could make sure he didn't help the Resistance any longer. Turning, she snapped out an order to one of her guards. The man wavered, then, seeing the look on her face, raced off to obey.

------------------------------------------

Chris muttered a curse when he saw Ham tumble into the water but there was nothing he could do about it. He turned his attention back to the Visitors, trying to pick them off. Diana was already hidden behind the part of the shuttle still above water and the others were running for cover. Dropping the detonator into his pocket, Chris started to rise, ready to signal the retreat. While it was tempting to finish off the Visitors, that wasn't in the plan and they couldn't take a chance on more arriving.

"Chris!" Maggie said sharply and he snapped the rifle up in time to see a trooper toss something in the water after Ham. He pulled off a quick shot, sending the trooper scurrying for cover but it was too late. Water spewed from the ocean and what little that remained of the pier there collapsed.

"Damn! Come on! Let's go!" Gesturing Maggie ahead of him, they ran for the van where the others were already waiting. Rico had the vehicle already running and they piled in.

"Think he's all right?" Maggie asked as they pulled away.

Chris set the rifle carefully down, his face grim. "I don't know. That last explosion ... depends on how far away he managed to get."

------------------------------------------

Ham hit the water badly, the impact driving out what little air was left in his lungs. Desperately, as his vision threatened to darken, he breathed water. There was a sharp pain in his upper chest as the third lung began to function, drawing oxygen from the water and passing it down to his regular lungs without allowing any of the water through. Allowing the weight of the belt and wet clothing drag him downward; Ham looked around, trying to get his bearings.

A slab of wood fell almost on top of him and instinctively he jerked to one side. Too late he realized he had gone the wrong way and was now under the collapsing pier. Desperately he swam in the other direction, barely getting clear then something exploded nearby. He tried to scream as pain lanced through his ears and he felt himself blacking out.

------------------------------------------

Dimly Donovan could hear the explosions behind them and he winced. Sean twisted in his seat to look behind them.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Some folks voicing their opinion of Diana, I think." Donovan said grimly, increasing the van's speed. He didn't know much about the whole plan but he did know that Tyler had been of the opinion Diana would do this on her own. She wouldn't have wanted to share a captive_Barbarosian_ with anyone so it was unlikely there would be other shuttles around but all that flash and noise would draw in not only the Visitors but the law as well.

"Should we check it out?"

"No. We have someplace to be." It would take them an hour to reach the rendezvous Tyler had given him directions to. Forcing worry about the others, and the knowledge that if anything happened to them it was his fault, from his mind, he concentrated on his driving. "Josh is there. Bet he'll be happy to see you."

"Yeah, great. Who else is there?"

"Lots of people. You don't know them. Oh, I almost forgot." He reached into his vest to pull out Sean's baseball hat. "Here. I've been keeping it for you." He glanced over to catch the boy's reaction and was disappointed to see nothing.

"Yeah, thanks. Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe." Donovan said, stifling his feelings of unease.

------------------------------------------

Ham looked around groggily, wondering if he'd been out for a minute or several minutes or even longer. He ached all over and when he looked at his watch, he wasn't too surprised to see it broken. There was a foul taste in his mouth and the smell of blood in the water. He remembered what he'd told Julie that night not so long ago '_We can survive under water but we're not built to live there by any means. Except, of course, for our Aquatics._'

Case in point, his eyes weren't made to see underwater, especially in water so filled with silt he could barely see a foot in front of himself. Stripping off the remaining glove and his boots, he started for the surface, pausing just short of it. If there are troopers up there ... But there was nothing else he could do. Slowly he emerged long enough to look around, finally focusing on the still-smoking pier. Once he established where that was, he submerged again and began to swim for the pickup point, hoping he made it in time.

------------------------------------------

Caleb and Rico set up sentry points while Chris, Elias, and Maggie ran for the water. They weren't that far from the pier and all were nervous as they divided their time between scanning the water and scanning the skies.

"Ten minutes." Chris said grimly and Maggie bit her lip, searching the water harder. Ten minutes and they would have to leave, Tyler or no Tyler. But he knew where to come and he would come, if he wasn't dead or captured or unconscious under the water.

"If he doesn't come ..." She started.

"He can make to the base on his own." Chris said curtly then he shook his head, letting his worry show. "But that last explosion, he could be hurt."

"Damn." Elias muttered, looking over the water and trying to see underneath it as well. He was still trying to reconcile Donovan's actions with his image of the man and he wasn't being totally successful. And while he didn't like Tyler, he had to give the man credit for his willingness to help Donovan get his son back. He wasn't sure he would have been able to do the same. "Hey! Wait! There!" He pointed down the shoreline and they turned to see a dark figure in the waves, half-tumbling onto the wet sands.

Together they ran for him, Maggie reaching him first, grabbing at the sodden windbreaker and pulling him toward land. She was alarmed to hear him choking and to see a hand reach up to clench at his throat. She grabbed the hand, worried that Ham might tear his own throat in his panic. "Chris! What ...?"

Chris was next to her, reaching for Ham. "He's still fixed for breathing underwater and he can't get rid of the water. He's being drowned by air. Move back." Rolling Tyler over so he was face-down, Chris wrapped an arm around him, bracing him as he drove a fist between the other man's shoulder blades then again, as hard as he could. Ham choked as water, blood and mucus erupted from his nose and mouth. Collapsing into his friend's arms, he gasped for breath.

"I hate that." He said thickly, his voice slurred. "I really, really hate that."

"Gotta admit it's handy." Chris said in relief, relief that turned to worry when the other man didn't respond. "Ham?" He touched the other's cheek lightly.

Ham looked up at him then shook his head, stopping abruptly with a wince. "Don't bother talking to me. My eardrums are blown."

"Damn." Chris muttered. He looked around, suddenly aware of how exposed they were. While they hadn't seen or heard any shuttles it didn't mean that they weren't on their way. "Let's get the hell out of here."

Helping Ham to his feet, they hurried for the relative safety of the van.

------------------------------------------

Donovan turned into the campgrounds and into the area Tyler had indicated. Harmony and Sancho were already there and Alice as well, dropping down from a nearby tree. Harmony had an armful of clothes which she shoved unceremoniously into Donovan's arms.

"Get him changed. Everything goes. Hurry!" She snapped when Donovan didn't move. "We don't need them getting a fix on us!"

"Here, Sean." Donovan handed the clothes to his son. "Change in the van."

"Make sure he gets everything." Alice said curtly and Donovan scowled. "Just leave it in the van." She added, ignoring the look on Donovan's face as she went back to searching the skies.

Donovan watched as Sean changed from the Youth Corp uniform into the jeans, T-shirt and sneakers, frowning when he saw the boy slip something from the pocket of the uniform, holding onto it as he jumped down from the van.

"What's that?" He asked, sharper then he intended.

Sean held out his hand to show him a watch. "Grandma gave it to me."

"When?" Donovan asked, knowing full well that all possessions are taken from the suspendees and he doubted they were cataloged since they didn't plan on ever returning them.

"Right before we came to meet you."

"You saw your grandmother before Diana brought you to meet me?" Donovan said slowly, feeling a little numb.

"Yeah. She said she'd be seeing us both real soon." Sean said cheerfully.

"Right." Sancho appeared next to them. Ignoring Sean's protests, he grabbed the watch, tossed it into the van and slammed the door shut. "Get in the other van. We are gone! Now!"

"But, Dad! Grandma said to hang on to that!" Sean looked genuinely distressed and Donovan grabbed his shoulder, steering him toward the other van.

"We'll get you a new one; your grandmother will never know. Hop in and let's go."

Ignoring the boy's protest, Donovan shoved him into the van and slammed the door shut. Sancho was already on his way and Donovan watched as he turned in the direction opposite the way they were signaling to go.

"Where to now?"

"To meet Ham and the others." Was all either woman would say as they turned back onto the highway.

------------------------------------------

Rico pulled the van into the back of the motel, parking it among the half-dozen abandoned cars there. The town near the motel was a small one and one thoroughly emptied by the Visitors less then two months ago. But there was still electricity and the water still ran and that made this place invaluable as a temporary safehouse for the Resistance. At one point there was even talk of making it a secondary base but nothing had come of it as yet. Now it was used mainly by transients and the homeless.

Maggie was the first out of the van, running for the nearest room, lock picks already in hand. To her surprise, she had the lock jimmied in less then twenty seconds ... those lessons from Fontana really were helpful. Opening the door, she headed straight for the bathroom, flipping on the water.

"We got hot water!" She said after a moment.

"Good." Chris grunted from behind her, dropping a knapsack onto the sink. "Ham can't stop shivering." He glanced at the towel rack, seeing only one rather limp and dusty towel. "Think you can find more towels?"

"I'll see what I can do." She disappeared out the door.

Ham limped into the bathroom, already stripping off his soaked shirt. Chris gave him an inquiring look and he shook his head. "I can handle it." Chris nodded and stepped out, shutting the door behind him.

Ham stripped off the remainder of his clothes and stepped into the shower without bothering to test it first. The water was hotter then he normally liked but right now it felt wonderful. He sank to the bottom of the tub, sitting in the spray, letting it warm him. Absently, he tried to cut the bandages off, wincing at the sharp ache every time he unsheathed a claw. Finally he just worked off the remaining bandages, tossing them to the other end of the tub before leaning back and resting his head back against the wall.

He was still alive, that alone amazed him. Deaf and hurting all over but alive. What was it Chris has said so long ago? _'You gotta stop taking these crazy chances'_ or some such. He wished he could but his acceptance with this group hung by a thread. He couldn't afford to make any worse enemies then he already had and if he hadn't helped Donovan then somehow whatever happened would have ended up being his fault, even though Donovan had been the one in the wrong. Too bad they couldn't just tell everyone the truth behind all this ... he grinned at the tarnishing the 'golden boy' would take.

Someone poked tentatively at the shower curtain and then again, a little harder. Curious, he reached up and pulled the curtain back slightly to see Maggie standing there, a perturbed expression on her face. She offered him a washcloth.

"Where are the guys?" He said, amused. He knew his voice was too loud but he still couldn't hear it.

"Buggered out." Maggie spoke slowly enough for him to read her lips. "Checking the area."

"And left you holding the washcloth." He was rewarded with a smile.

"And towels." She gestured toward a pile nearby. "Are you hurt?" She asked, gesturing at his hand.

Ham glanced at his hand, realizing there was blood there. He grimaced. "Came damn near to declawing myself. Other then that ..." He paused, looking down the length of his body for the first time, realizing he had more scrapes and bruises then he'd originally thought. "Other then that, I don't know."

"So stand up and let's take a look." At Ham's surprised look, Maggie shook her head and sighed. "You haven't got a thing I haven't seen before."

Ham eyed her suspiciously. "How would you know? Have you been peeking?"

Maggie crossed her arms and glared at him. Finally he pulled himself to his feet, clenching at the wall bar as he swayed and almost fell.

"Ham?" Concerned, Maggie reached out to steady him.

"Balance is off. Stiffened up too, damn it." He said in that too-loud voice, gripping her arm. "How's my back look?"

Maggie looked, whistling softly at the bruise covering almost all of his upper back. "You've got a hell of a bruise." Remembering that Ham couldn't hear her, she leaned back and repeated herself so Ham could read her lips, adding, "Chris' blows probably didn't help."

"Probably not. Hurts like hell."

"Think you might have some broken ribs?"

"Maybe. Maybe just cracked. With any luck, just bruised." He reached out to turn off the water and stepped from the shower, gritting his teeth at the surge of pain that swept over him. Once he was steady on his feet, Maggie released his arm and grabbed the one loose towel, shaking it free of dust and offering it to him before turning to tear open the plastic covering the clean towels she had found. She clenched her teeth at the thought that these freshly laundered towels had probably been delivered right before the Visitors had cleaned out the town, taking guests from the hotel as well as the inhabitants of the town. Shoving those thoughts from her mind, she gathered up a few towels and turned to see Ham briskly drying his hair.

With a sigh, Maggie gingerly prodded Ham in the side, taking care to stay away from any bruises or abrasions. Even so, Ham winced and looked at her reproachfully.

"You're not very modest, are you?" She hadn't meant to say it out loud but she had given him _that_ towel to cover himself.

Despite himself, Ham glanced downward, smiling slightly. "Never thought I had anything to be modest about." Then he paused, suddenly feeling strangely embarrassed. "Sorry." He muttered, lowering the towel to secure it around his waist, looking anywhere but at Maggie.

Maggie felt her lips quirk. Not at what he'd said - in the course of her career as a pilot she's heard some pretty raunchy things - but at seeing Ham embarrassed. She'd never thought to see him embarrassed about anything. _Not that he has anything to be embarrassed about ..._ cutting that thought off firmly, Maggie offered him another towel and he resumed drying his hair. "At least I feel warm again." She heard him mumble and she grinned.

Pulling the jar Fontana had given her before they left from her pocket; she touched Ham's shoulder to get his attention. "Need help getting dry?"

He looked at the jar with obvious relief. "My back?" He looked at her appealingly and she nodded, pulling a towel from the package and gingerly drying his back. Despite her attempts to be gentle, she could feel him flinch several times and hiss with pain once or twice. Finally she gestured for him to sit down and reached for the jar.

"If that's the one that numbs, use gloves or you won't be able to feel your fingers." Ham said sharply, just before she dipped her fingers into the bluish-green salve.

Maggie paused, remembering the surgical gloves Fontana had handed her. She pulled them from her pocket and slipped them on. "That's right. He did say this salve numbs pain. How many types of _kuta_ are there anyway?" She asked as she tentatively dabbed the salve onto the numerous scrapes and cuts.

"No idea but it's good for what ails you. Literally. We use it for everything. Speaking of which, did Fontana give you any packets of powders?" Ham asked hopefully, watching as she rewrapped his hands. Not as good as Julie would have done but not bad.

"As a matter of fact ..." Maggie pulled out a couple red packets from her pocket.

"Good." There was relief in the man's voice. He poured a packet of powder into a glass and filled it with water, drinking it down so rapidly that Maggie knew it had to be medicine. At her inquiring look, Ham explained. "For infection." He hesitated, his eyes shadowed. "My people can be prone to ear infections so I'm glad he sent it along." He raised his head suddenly, nostrils flaring. Absently he licked his lips. "I smell KFC."

Maggie blinked in surprise. "Get dressed. I'll go see what's going on."

What was going on were several buckets of chicken being passed around the group, which now included Sancho, Alice, Harmony, Donovan, and Sean.

"You stopped for KFC?" She asked, reaching for a piece of chicken.

"Figured you'd all be hungry." Harmony offered her a plate then another one to Ham, now dressed in jeans and an unbuttoned western-style shirt. Ignoring the plate, he snatched up a bucket and retreated to the wall next to the bed, sitting cross-legged on the floor, leaving the others staring at him in surprise.

"If there's anything Ham likes better then KFC," Chris said from where he sat, feet propped up on a bed. "I haven't found it yet."

"In other words, stay away from his chicken." Sancho grinned as Ham tore into a piece of chicken with obvious hunger.

"Unless you wanna be minus a hand." Chris laughed.

"Glad we grabbed that extra bucket." Alice offered Ham a container of milk. He looked up, eying her almost suspiciously before finally taking it with a nod of thanks.

"Don't try talking to him." Maggie spoke up, noticing that Donovan was looking at the man. "He can't hear you. His eardrums were ruptured." She was pleased to see a guilty look cross the former newsman's face. Sean, she saw, was looking oddly at Ham. Of course, Ham wasn't wearing gloves or boots and was gingerly using his claws to dissect another piece of chicken. She wondered what Diana may have told the boy about Ham or Ham's people.

"Otherwise he's okay?" Donovan asked almost hopefully.

"Lots of scrapes, cuts, and bruises, one covering about half his back. A few splinters and he claims he was almost declawed."

Chris grunted. "He probably won't be able to use his claws too well for awhile."

"Claws?" Sean said tentatively and Chris looked at Donovan, almost daring him to explain.

"Yeah." Donovan said stiffly. "Tyler's an alien, a different kind of alien then the Visitors. He's been working with us."

"Oh." The boy looked like he would have liked to say something more but he didn't, concentrating on his food instead.

Silence reigned as everyone concentrated on eating. A chance for take-out was very rare and they took full advantage of it. After several minutes of silence, one by one, they all became aware of a low rumbling sound. At first alarmed, they looked up and around until, finally, they were all looking at Ham.

"Is he ... purring?" Maggie finally asked.

Chris frowned, seeming almost reluctant to answer. He looked around the group thoughtfully then shrugged. "Kinda. I doubt he knows he's doing it." He grinned suddenly. "I told you he loves KFC."

"So it's like a cat." Harmony said. "Involuntary."

"Yeah, well. It's not like he can hear himself." Chris threw Donovan a dark look and the other man flushed.

At that moment, the _Barbarosian_ seemed to realize he was being stared at and he looked up, licking his fingers. "What?" He demanded.

Maggie touched his shoulder lightly to get his attention, speaking slowly. "You were purring."

Ham looked at her, his face tightening, then abruptly he looked away, down into the bucket and Maggie got the sudden impression that sheer will, and maybe exhaustion, was all that kept him from fleeing. She threw Chris a confused look.

The big man shrugged. "On Earth, people who are different tend to end up dead. Or worse."

"Oh." Maggie said weakly, seeing more then a few of the others shift uncomfortably. Next to her, Ham pulled another piece of chicken from the bucket and resumed eating. His tenseness had eased but the sound had stopped and, much to her surprise, Maggie found herself missing it.

"Don't fret about it." Chris said suddenly, in a surprisingly gentle voice. "Sometimes he has a hard time realizing not everyone's going to break out the stakes and torches every time he does something different."

"You make it sound like that's happened." Caleb spoke up. Like Chris, he was sprawled comfortably in a chair, feet propped up on a bed.

Chris hesitated, watching his friend gingerly peel the skin from a piece of chicken. "Ham's been fairly lucky. Most of the people who have found out about him have ended up as friends or allies. But there's been a couple times ..." He jaw tightened but he continued anyway. "He disappeared shortly after we both left the Army, for maybe three years. I don't know what happened, never asked, never intend to but when I saw him next, he wasn't the same man I knew before. What ever happened was bad enough to turn him into the man you knew when we first arrived. Hard, cold, closed-off. The second time was your buddy, Medina." He looked directly at Donovan. Donovan choked on a piece of chicken but Chris continued ruthlessly. "He only had Ham for a few days but it took him months to heal properly. I won't go into details."

"Thanks. I have enough nightmares to deal with." Caleb said. "And Medina was ..."

"A 'freedom fighter'." Chris made air-quotes with his fingers. "Man ran the largest damn poppy fields in South America with slave labor from the villages but because he was fighting the evil overlords, Donovan was toting him as the good guy. Of course, Medina was very careful not to let Donovan see the dark side of his enterprise." He tossed a biscuit into the air and caught it, looking at his friend for a long moment. Ham stared down into the bucket as he ate, refusing to look up. "Tony knew though. He's the one who helped me get Ham out." For a moment, Chris looked caught up in memories, none of them good.

Donovan gaped at him in shock, remembering that Tony had taken an unexplained leave of absence after Medina was killed and his group wiped out. He'd always thought that maybe the carnage there had been the reason for it.

"And Medina?" Sancho asked.

"Dead." Chris said curtly. "As well as the men who'd been working with him."

"Tyler killed them." Donovan blurted out. "Those claws ..."

"Yeah, he did." Chris interrupted him bluntly. "Considering what they'd been doing to him and to the others they were holding prisoner, I can't blame him for it in the least. I don't think," He shot a quick look at Sean. "You want me to go into details."

"Don't you dare." Harmony said weakly, looking a little sick.

Chris gave her a sympathetic look. "It was a long time ago, hon, and he survived. Not without his own nightmares though."

"No trials, no appeals, no mercy." Caleb said suddenly and the two men shared a brief look of perfect understanding, ignoring the others' confused and questioning looks.

Finding that the bucket was now empty save for well-gnawed and broken bones, Ham finally looked up and around, eyes narrowing with suspicion at the expressions on the faces that looked back at him. "It's not nice to talk about a guy when you know he can't hear what you're saying." He grumbled, rubbing a hand along the side of his face and Maggie almost laughed. The gesture looked remarkably like that of a cat rubbing a paw across its face.

"But it's lots safer." Chris remarked then grinned cheerfully at Ham's scowl.

"Hell." He reached for a wet towelette and used it to wiped grease from his face. "I'll just get it all from the little fella once I can hear again." He grinned at Sancho with sharp teeth.

"Hey!" Sancho sat up straight as laughter erupted around the room. "Come on, you guys! I don't wanna know what he means by that!" His own laughter belayed his feigned panic and Ham's grin broadened. He looked down into the bucket, searching through the bones once again before looking up and around hopefully.

"I'm beginning to think we should have just brought a few whole chickens." Alice grumbled as she looked through the other buckets, finally offering Ham one still a third full. He took it with a mumbled 'thanks' and resumed eating.

Chris chuckled. "He needs the protein right now, to help with the healing process." Absently, he looked through the curtain, scanning the street. "We best get a move on." Chris tossed a biscuit at Ham, who frowned as it landed in the bucket. He picked it up, looked it over intently then started to munch on it before looking inquiringly at his friend. "Gotta get going. You can finish eating in the van. Yeah, you can take the damn bucket." He rolled his eyes as the others burst out laughing. Ham glowered at them all, not loosening his hold on the bucket, a hint of laughter in his dark eyes.

"Come on then." Maggie rose. Ham glanced at her then started to stand. With a hiss of pain, he fell back to his knees, clenching the bed to keep from falling on his face. Concerned, Maggie dropped to his side.

"Damn." Chris stood up, frowning as he eyed his friend. "Can you help him to the van, Maggie?"

Maggie nodded, picking up the bucket of chicken and handing it off to Alice. Ham looked up at that, looking ready to protest but Maggie cut him off.

"You need help getting out to the van." Maggie made it a statement rather then a question and Ham nodded wearily. He draped his arm over her shoulders and she slipped her arm around his waist, taking care to avoid the bruise on his back. She knew she wasn't very successful even before he flinched but it was the best she could do as she helped him to his feet. With her support, he moved stiffly toward the door. Behind them, the others gathered up the trash and used towels, leaving as little trace of their brief presence as possible.

------------------------------------------

It was almost supper time when the two vans pulled into the camp. Julie walked from the saloon to watch as the doors opened and people stepped out. Her eyes slipped over everyone, counting heads, unbearably relieved to count the correct number plus one. Donovan stood next to his son, obviously wanting her attention but she had her duty first. She looked at Ham, now being helped from the van by Caleb and Maggie. The_Barbarosian's_ face was pale and drawn and alarm shot through her.

"What happened?" She asked, starting forward, Fontana beside her.

Maggie looked up, shaking her head. "Don't bother trying to talk to him. His eardrums were blown."

"What?" Fontana looked at Ham sharply. Julie was surprised to see an almost guilty look cross the latter's face then Fontana was heading for the man, steering him toward the stable in a manner that allowed no argument. Ham didn't protest, just leaned on the other man for support as they walked.

"Am I missing something?" Julie said to no one in particular.

"_Barbarosians_ can be prone to deafness." An English-accented voice came from behind Donovan and he turned sharply, startled to see a red fox now balanced the hood of one of the vans.

"Meaning?" Julie asked, looking as if talking red foxes were all the norm these days.

"Ear infection can keep the ears from healing properly, which in turn can cause deafness." The fox swiped at his own ear. "Due to their metabolism, certain infections can occur very quickly in_Barbarosians_."

"Like ear infections."

"Like ear infections."

"Damn it! Everyone, get cleaned up, get some food, and relax for a while. We'll meet in the saloon in an hour for debriefing. Harmony, would you mind getting together some medical supplies and bringing them over to the stable?" She headed at a rapid walk for the stable. Maggie looked after her then, after a moment's thought, followed her into the stable.

Donovan looked after Julie, feeling hurt and, he was surprised to realize, a little jealous. A sudden grunt distracted him and he looked down to see that the fox had landed with an awkward thump on the ground.

"That was graceful." Robert remarked and the fox snorted.

"Hey, I'm a fox! Not a cat!" He gave himself a vigorous shake.

"Where did_that_ come from?" Donovan asked, his disappointment in Julie's lack of greeting making him curt.

"'That' is Reginald and from the look in his eye, I don't think he appreciates being referred to as 'that'." Robert said. "He is a part of ..." Robert paused, glancing at Sean. "Well, let's just say he's a ... a guest." Robert jerked his head toward the top of the van. "The ... ah ... flying fox up there is Ully. They're both friends of Fontana's." The hawk perched on the van's roof now had the exact markings of a red fox and Reginald muttered something softly, glowering up at the hawk. The hawk preened tauntingly back.

"Oh." Things clicked in Donovan's head and he half-smiled, realizing that, finally, Fontana would be leaving. And maybe, if he was lucky, Tyler as well. "That's means Fontana's sh ..."

"Yes, it does." Robert curtly cut him off, glaring at him. Donovan fumbled to a halt, confused. "Julie's set up a bed in the trailer for Sean. You might want to grab some supper and talk with Julie as soon as possible. I need to check on the girls. Ully, how about we meet in the saloon in about an hour, see if we can finish that translating tonight?"

"I'll be there." The hawk shrieked and dropped from the van, soaring off. Robert turned and headed for the trailer.

Donovan looked after the man, still confused.

"Have you considered," Reginald said from where he now sat on the ground, examining stretched out toes critically. "That there are some things that the kits do not need to know? Especially kits that have spent way too much time in _phrashi_ hands?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Donovan snapped before he realized he was talking to a fox.

"You're supposed to be an intelligent man. You figure it out." The fox rose and turned to leap inside the van.

"Dad." Sean asked slowly. "How can that fox talk?"

"Well, I doubt it's a real fox. Maybe it's a machine."

"Like a robot? Cool!" Sean grinned for the first time since Sancho took the watch away.

Donovan looked at the boy in surprise. Sean had never had much interested in such things before. "Yeah, I guess it is. Come on. Let's get something eat and then I'll show you around."

------------------------------------------

Ham sat on the sofa; giving the impression he was ready to fall asleep. Maggie wasn't surprised, considering the intense activity he'd gone through and the very full meal he'd eaten. He had dozed off once or twice in the van but never for very long. It was as if he'd been afraid to fall asleep.

She perched on one of the long tables, watching as Fontana gently applied a pale cream ... yet another variation of _kuta_ ... directly into Ham's ears, all the while explaining to Julie what needed to be done to keep infection away and, if infection did occur, what to do about it. He also went over more detailed explanations about the other medicines in the kit, most of which was derived from_kuta_.

"How likely is deafness?" Julie asked.

"If his ears get badly infected, there's a seventy-eight percent chance of deafness." Fontana said bluntly and Julie threw him a shocked look. "Minor infection can be prevented or cleared up with the dried _kuta_ powder and this cream but if major infection sets in ..." He let his voice trail off.

"He can't sleep in the loft. There's too much dust and dirt up there." Julie said with some alarm.

"He'll sleep in the RV." Chris said from where he sat nearby. "Alice is fixing us up a room in the saloon."

Julie grinned mischievously. "Not the loft?"

"Hehehe." Chris threw a book at her. "Funny lady."

Ham looked surprised at the exchange, which of course he couldn't hear and their respective positions kept him from reading their lips and reasoning out what they were saying. Fontana moved his hands in what Julie realized was a type of sign language and Ham grinned.

"Sign language?"

"For a while so many of our people were going deaf that it became mandatory and that never changed."

Julie flinched at the thought and took a deep breath. As much as she hated the idea, she asked "Would it be better if he went back with you then?"

Fontana's face tightened. "He can't, not now." He said curtly. "Traveling in space would drastically increase the chances of him going deaf."

"Oh." Julie said weakly.

"And I have to leave. I've already been here too long." Fontana continued, concentrating on re-bandaging Ham's hands.

"I'm sorry." Julie said.

"Don't be. Kom would have insisted on staying anyway."

Aware that they were talking but unable to tell what they were talking about, Ham touched Fontana lightly on the shoulder. At his lack of response, Ham looked at Julie inquiringly. She grimaced and gestured at her ear, mouthing _space travel_ at him. He nodded in understanding.

"What's this?" Reginald's voice was muffled by the familiar red and white bucket he was dragging in with him.

"You stopped for KFC?" Julie's voice rose an octave.

"Is that a bad thing?" The fox shoved his muzzle forcefully through the top and came out with a piece of wing, crunching it between strong teeth. "Yum, good."

"Alice did. Good thing too. Ham needed it." Maggie spoke up.

"I like this." Reginald muttered, pulling out another piece.

"Yeah, but ... is there any coleslaw left?" Julie asked plaintively.

"Ham finished most everything off on the way back."

"Well, that helps explain why he's ready to pass out." Fontana said with a slight grin. "I better get him inside and into bed."

Julie glanced at Ham, now half-curled up on the sofa, almost asleep. Before she could agree, he jerked awake and pushed himself upright, looking around in confusion. Fontana signed something at him and he frowned, starting to shake his head. He stopped abruptly with an involuntary wince of pain.

"What's wrong?"

"He's afraid to go to sleep. If he goes into a healing sleep, it may increase the chance of deafness." He caught her confused look. "Some things can speed up in a healing sleep, including the rate of certain infections. It means someone will have to keep a very close eye on him, make sure infection doesn't set in while he's asleep. Once it sets in ..." He paused, shaking his head. "While I'm still here, I can do it."

"When you leave, we can keep an eye on him." Maggie spoke up firmly. "You said there would be a fever?"

"Yes. Our body temps are roughly the same as yours. As long as it doesn't get higher then standard human, he should be infection-free."

"But when you're in a healing sleep it drops, doesn't it?" Julie asked.

"Usually, yes. Body functions slow down but the healing process speeds up so you got to be careful with that. Of course, I doubt he'll let himself go into a healing sleep. And none of the wounds he has are life-threatening so he shouldn't go into it involuntarily."

Crunch, crunch. "Uh-oh." Reginald's voice was muffled.

"So we keep a close eye on him." Julie rose, brushing off her jeans. "I better go find Mike and ... are you okay, Reginald?"

"I seem to be stuck." The fox backed up, pawing first with one paw then the other at the bucket stuck on his head. Julie reached down and gave the bucket a hard yank. Seeing nothing but bones left inside, she tossed it into the nearest trash barrel. Picking up the fox, she carried him out of the stable.

"Hey! Where you going with my fox?" Fontana looked at Chris. "Where's she going with my fox?"

The big man shrugged. "Gonna go put him down among the chickens, I bet."

------------------------------------------

"I'm just showing Sean around, Ian."

Ian looked apologetic but he didn't move an inch. "Sorry, Mike. Orders. No unauthorized personnel in the research areas."

"When did this start?" Donovan said impatiently. They had heard the same thing in several different places and Donovan couldn't help but notice that there seemed to be more guards then there'd been before.

"Orders came down yesterday. We're getting more and more people joining and we can't be sure who might be converted or maybe even just working for the lizards. Been too damn lax around here." Ian said cheerfully but then he was always cheerful.

Donovan felt his face tighten but Ian didn't seem to notice. He grinned down at Sean. "Heard you got your kid back though. Looks like the plan worked okay."

"Plan?" Donovan said sharply. "You know about that?"

Ian looked confused. "Well, yeah. Julie said something about you and Ham working out a plan to get your kid back."

"Yeah, it worked." Donovan said stiffly. "Where are the kids anyway?"

"Up to the north field, I think."

"Thanks. Come on, Sean." They walked away from the research building and through the town. "There's maybe a dozen kids around your age here. We got classes going ..." He grinned at Sean's grimace. "It'll keep you busy at least ... hey, Natalie. What's up?"

Natalie was walking toward them with a frown on her face. He could see some of her friends - the main body of the anti-Tyler group - nearby and had the sudden feeling that she was about to say something he wasn't going to like.

"Mike." She smiled thinly, eyes sliding to Sean. "This your son?"

"Yeah, Sean, Natalie Barnes." He glanced at the half-dozen people sitting on the porch of the whorehouse. "Something wrong?"

She looked at him for a moment, lips compressed. "I take it you haven't heard yet?"

"Heard what?"

"Julie's named Tyler as her second-in-command." She was watching him closely.

Donovan barely managed to keep his reaction from his face. "That's her right."

Natalie looked disappointed in his lack of response. "But he's not human!"

"Whether anyone likes it or not, he is the best man for the job. Human or not." Donovan pointed out, ignoring his churning stomach. No matter what his personal opinion of Tyler, he knew he had to back Julie's decision. "No one else here has his military experience or contacts." He looked at the woman closely, sensing that she wasn't saying everything. "What else did she say?"

"What?' Natalie looked taken back. "Oh, something about you, Caleb, Maggie, some others being her - or their – lieutenants ."

"I see." Donovan wasn't certain what all of this meant but he suddenly felt better. '_Julie knows what she's doing_' he thought to himself. "Sounds workable." Was all he said out loud.

"It's going to cause problems." Natalie warned.

"Is that a threat?" Julie said cheerfully as she approached, the fox cradled in her arms.

Natalie flushed. "No, of course not. It's just that ..." She looked behind her at the others. "Well, some people don't like it."

"Can't satisfy everyone." Julie pointed out. "I had to do what was best for the group on a whole and Tyler is the best person for the job, period."

"Double period! I want some more of whatever that was." The fox said, twisting to look back over Julie's shoulder.

"Chicken. And it's all gone."

"Damn." The fox muttered. "I can see why Komees Ihn'e likes it so well though."

"Yeah, he managed to go through a bucket and a half of it." Donovan chuckled.

"Yeah, well, for some reason he needs the protein." Giving Donovan a sidelong look, the fox swiped at his ear. Donovan gritted his teeth and the fox grinned at him with sharp teeth.

"Why is_that_ still wandering around loose?" Hansen asked curtly.

"'That'. I'm a 'that' again. Next time I come to Earth, I'm bringing a copy of '_Manners Maketh the Sentient Being_'." Reginald grumbled then looked around. "Make that a lot of copies."

"Just be sure they're in English." Julie said before looking at the others. "Reginald is a guest. So is Ully. There is no reason for them not to wander around, as long as they stay out of the secured areas. As near as I can tell, they are both 'he's', not 'that's'. And as long as they are here, you will treat them with respect." She looked around the small group before setting Reginald down. "Sean, why don't you head over to the north field and meet the rest of the kids? Reginald, you mind? You know where the north field is."

"Certainly. Come on, kid. And if you see that bloody Ully, warn me, will you? He keeps going for my tail."

"Why?"

"Damned if I know. He always was a little strange."

Ignoring Donovan's concerned look, Julie waited until Sean was out of earshot before dropping her friendly manner and crossing her arms, glaring at the gathered group. "I would like to take this moment to stress, behind any chance of misunderstanding, that there will be no more talk about attempting to hijack Fontana's ship." Surprised and, in some cases, guilty, looks appeared on several of the faces looking at her. "Fontana has provided us with a great deal of help and I find it repulsive that some people in this group are actually thinking about how to steal his ship."

Natalie frowned. "Come on, Julie! Think about it. Having his ship could be a big help!" She looked around for support. "Donovan can fly a Visitor shuttle." She pointed out. "How much harder could this ship be?"

Donovan looked thoughtful. "She might have a point ..." His voice faltered at Julie's dark look. "Hey! I was thinking more of _asking_ for the use of his ship! Not taking it!"

Julie shook her head. "She, not it. And she's a smuggling ship, not a fighter or a scout. She couldn't be much help. And as for stealing her ..." She looked back at the small group. "Like Ully and Reginald, Dorothea is a sentient being, quite capable of deciding her own fate. Do you think she'll let you get close enough to hijack her? And if you did manage to board her, what would keep her from heading into deep space and opening her hatches on you? Not to mention the fact that she could send word to the Confederation, which would effectively end any help they are currently giving us." She looked around the gathering, which now included several other people who had come over to see what was going on. "Anybody here want to take that chance? Are you that cock-sure that we can win this war all on our own?"

Julie was satisfied to see that most people didn't think so.

"Why should we try going it alone, if we can get help from others?" Caleb said reasonably. "'Sides, from what I understand, a smuggler ship wouldn't be much help. They're built for speed and concealment. Not much in the way of armament or anything like that. I'd rather have this one bringing in supplies and stuff."

"Not to mention the fact that, from what Fontana says, she is one stubborn little vixen." Robert added.

A chorus of agreements, mixed with laughter, greeted this remark and Julie smiled.

"Glad to hear it. Because if anyone, and I do mean anyone, blows our chances of continuing to get help from Ham's people," she locked eyes with Natalie. "I will personally shoot that person." She was satisfied to see the woman blanch and looked around. "Is that understood?"

Another chorus of agreements, more subdued, answered her.

"Good. Now we have a debriefing in ... make it thirty minutes." Most people began to drift away until only a small group remained.

"How's Tyler?" Caleb asked quietly.

Julie took a quick look at who remained before speaking. "At the moment temporally deaf with some very real danger of it becoming permanent." Worried looks appeared. "Fontana showed me what to do to help prevent that but there is still a chance."

"Wouldn't it just be safer for Tyler to go back home?" Donovan said hopefully.

Julie's lips thinned. "He can't. Apparently space travel and inner ear damage don't mix. Deafness would become almost certain then." She glowered at Donovan. "So like it or not, he has to stay." Donovan had the good grace to look away and Julie turned to Robert. "Are the girls ready?"

Robert made a face. "They've been ready for a while now. Honestly, I think Robin has something up her sleeve but she won't tell me what."

Julie raised an eyebrow. "Worried about it?"

He shrugged. "Not really. I just figure Ham told her something she can't pass along. Not yet anyway."

"Good. See you at the salon in thirty minutes then."

The rest of the group drifted off, leaving Julie and Donovan alone.

"Well?" Julie said.

"Well, what?"

"You have things you want to say. Say them."

Donovan opened his mouth to deny it then fumbled to a halt. "Okay, fine. Why didn't you talk to me before making Tyler second-in-command?"

"Why should I have? It's not like you have a legitimate excuse for him not to be." Julie countered. "Even you have to admit that he is the best person for the job. There's no one else here with his qualifications."

"That's true." He agreed reluctantly. "But people don't like it."

"_Some_ people don't like it including, apparently, you. Mike, I did what's best for the group. If I thought I could get away with it, I'd hand leadership over to him in a second but like he said before, he doesn't have the qualifications to run this kind of a rebel camp. So here's the situation." She took a deep breath. "I am the overall leader, the General if you will. Ham is my second-in-command; he reports directly to me and takes orders from me. Our lieutenants are you, Sancho, Caleb, Maggie, Robert, Elias, Alice, and Chris. It's actually more complicated than that; I'll explain better later." She frowned at Donovan. "You might want to keep in mind that there were a number of misgivings about making _you_ a lieutenant but we don't have a reasonable excuse not to. Not one we'd want to reveal publicly anyway."

Donovan flushed slightly. "And if Tyler's hearing doesn't come back?" He half-challenged.

Julie's lips thinned. "We'll deal with that then." Her curt words made it obvious the subject was closed. "Now on to Sean ..."

"What about Sean?" Donovan said sharply.

"There can be no doubt that he's been converted." Julie said bluntly.

"Wait a minute!" Donovan protested, even though she was just saying out like what he'd feared all this time.

"No way would Diana pass up a chance to put a spy right into our camp and he wouldn't have stood a chance." Julie overrode him ruthlessly. "We have to work on the presumption that he is converted. Security has been increased throughout the camp. No unauthorized personnel anywhere they aren't supposed to be. There was a suggestion that Sean go with Fontana but ..." She threw up a hand to stop Donovan's protest. "Even if it were within the Rules I didn't think you'd agree. Another suggestion was to send him to your mother but that would put him back into Diana's reach and God knows what she'd ask for next time."

Donovan flinched at both her tone and her look.

"So he stays here. We keep an eye on him, keep him from contacting anyone outside the group and keep him away from anything he doesn't need to know. Just like all the other children and anyone else who doesn't need to know these things."

After a long moment, Donovan nodded. "Fine."

Julie visibly relaxed and any anger Donovan may have felt melted away when he realized she had expected him to be more antagonistic about the possibility that Sean had been converted. It was, after all, a very real possibility and something he wouldn't put past Diana. Or, he hated to admit, his mother. The fact that Sean met with her before the exchange upset him more then he cared to admit.

"Now the official story about this little fiasco is that Diana tried to cut a deal with you ... the _Barbarosian_ ... Tyler ... for Sean. You turned it around and told Tyler about it and the two of you worked out a plan to double-cross Diana."

Donovan took a deep breath, not bothering to hide his relief. "Tyler agreed to go with it?"

"He suggested it. Apparently he thinks it would be bad for the Resistance if it were publicly known that one of the Resistance's best-known heroes would trade an unknowing member of the Resistance for his son." Donovan flinched. "So he suggested this story. Diana can say what she wants. We just continue telling our version. But you ..." She poked Donovan in the chest with a sharp finger. "You just remember that you owe Tyler big. One word from him and I would have canceled the mission. Understood?"

Donovan's face tightened. "Understood."

"Good. Now let's go to the debriefing. And then we're going to have a private chat."

"About?"

Julie didn't have a chance to answer as a sudden loud 'Tally-ho!' came from behind her and she jumped to one side as Reginald barreled between them, the whole of the camp's children running behind him. "Tally-ho! Thar she blows! Arm yourselves and prepare to rebel boarders!" The fox howled, turning to run in a circle that grew smaller and smaller until he was a whirling dervish, chasing his own tail. The majority of the children stopped in their tracks, laughing so hard most of them ended up on the ground.

Harmony joined the couple, panting slightly at the effort of keeping up with the children. "Think we could keep the fox?" She asked Julie. "The kids love him."

Julie shook her head sadly as Reginald suddenly bounced sideways to snatch something from Polly before taking off down the street, yelling 'Cally-cally-catch me if you can!'. Polly whooped and raced after him, the ivory Trinity medallion bouncing on her neck and the rest of the children behind her. There was a shriek above them and Ully, now a rather nauseating fluorescent green, swooped after them. "Unfortunately, I think it's against the rules."

"Damn."

"Yeah. Double damn. Did you tell them about Ham?"

"I just told them that he was hurt. Again. Polly's mad. She seems to think he gets hurt an awful lot and most of the time it's not his fault."

"She's got that right."

"She wanted to go see him but I suggested she might want to wait until morning. Then Reginald started acting up ... I think to distract them."

"Good for him."

The three resistance fighters followed the children, the yammering fox, and the obscenely colored hawk back into town.


	16. Interlude Twelve A

**Taking place the night and next morning after Part Twelve ends**

They were laughing at her. She just knew they were all laughing at her.

Diana ignored everyone as she walked down the corridor toward her office, promising herself she would one day get even with them all. As if the failure to capture the _Barbarosian_ wasn't enough, it had been Steven who had lead the party who had come to the burning warehouse to retrieve her and what was left of her guard. There had been no outward signs of amusement but she was certain he had been laughing inside. And the others as well, smirking at her filthy uniform and the tear across her false human face.

She swept into her office, stopping abruptly at the sight of Pamela sitting behind her desk, casually going through the reports there. Diana felt a flash of anger, an anger she quickly concealed as Pamela looked up.

"Diana. Feeling better?" She asked, her concern as false as her face and Diana felt her teeth grind.

"I feel fine." She lied, ignoring the beginnings of a headache.

"I just wanted to check up on you, after your experiences of yesterday." Pamela leaned back in the chair, waving Diana to another chair opposite her. Diana barely hid a glower at being ordered about in her own office but finally sat down. Pamela smiled slightly. "Why, Diana, didn't you report the presence of a _Barbarosian_ on Earth?"

Diana knew that question was coming and smiled, answering smoothly. "Because I wasn't certain. There were rumors, yes, and some evidence but nothing certain. I thought if I could capture it ..."

"Using bait better used elsewhere." Pamela chided and Diana once again felt her teeth grind. She forced herself to relax.

"On the contrary. The boy is now a spy in their camp. Soon he will report to his grandmother the whereabouts of the Resistance's camp." She answered sweetly. "And she will report it to Steven."

"Perhaps." Pamela sounded unconvinced. "Meanwhile the _Barbarosian_ is still out there, helping the humans."

Diana laughed, speaking scornfully. "Hardly. If he wasn't killed in the explosion, he surely drowned. My men were watching very carefully and he never surfaced ... what?" She demanded.

Pamela was looking at her almost sadly. "This is why scientific types should never be sent to do the military's job." She murmured almost sadly and Diana felt a rush of venom she barely managed to suppress. "But then, your predecessors were never able to use water in their experiments, were they?" Pamela sighed, barely managing to conceal her intense enjoyment. "Some races of_Barbarosian_ are capable of breathing under water, Diana. And if this one is of the race that most resembles humans then I think we can safely say that he is alive and well, even as we speak."

"What?" Diana clenched her fists in rage. "How do you know this?"

"Just as they have had spies among us, we have had spies among them. Not nearly enough and none that have survived very long but we have gotten some information about them. Tell me, Diana, did you manage to see the Legacy mark behind the _Barbarosian's_ ear?" Pamela asked innocently.

Diana gulped air. "No." She said shortly, refusing to admit she didn't know what that meant. By the smirk on Pamela's face, she wasn't fooled.

"Pity. We may have been able to find out his family from that."

"Why wasn't this information passed on?" Diana demanded, anger slurring her words.

"One would have thought that with all the experimentation done, you would have known." Pamela almost purred.

"As you said, my predecessors were never able to use water in any experiments." Diana resolved to double-check all the reports, to see what had been missed. And what a Legacy mark could be. "But again, we have a spy among them."

"A spy of limited use." Pamela murmured then, ignoring Diana's outraged look, continued in a more normal tone. "Meanwhile, there are new orders concerning the capture of any _Barbarosian_, as well as any major member of the Resistance. If a _Barbarosian_ is captured, he is to be immediately placed in military custody. You will have a chance to ... examine him but first he will be interrogated properly."

"I am capable of interrogating a prisoner." Diana said coldly.

"I've no doubt about that. It's your ability to pass the information that I worry about."

Diana didn't bother to hide her glower this time.

"John agrees with me." A smile curved too-perfect lips. "That's why any _Barbarosian_ will be turned over to me first. I will stress the same with the other commanders."

"Fine. Once we've made the appropriate announcements, we should have ..."

"Announcements?" Pamela said sharply.

"Of course." Diana said smugly. "Steven is already setting up the arrangements. We make a special announcement, letting the humans know that there is an alien species among them secretly and they ..."

"We most certainly will not let the humans know there are other alien species!" Pamela hissed so fiercely that Diana stopped dead, staring at her in surprise. "We have worked too hard to convince them that there are no other species capable of space travel!"

Diana faltered, cursing herself for forgetting that. "An unknown species then ..."

"And give them the idea of perhaps forming ties with another species?" Pamela asked curtly.

"But if we present the _Barbarosians_ as the enemy, that they are perhaps behind these resistance groups ..."

"It's possible that more humans will join the resistance, if they knew there were potential alien allies. Not to mention that if we do such a thing and the Confederation catches wind of it, they may start to take a serious interest in this planet and use our accusations as an excuse to do so. No, we can't take that chance. As far as the humans are concerned, we are the only other sentient species out there with space travel capability. A species that looks as they do." Pamela said scornfully. "That appeals to them and the majority of them never look any deeper. Give them the knowledge that there are other aliens out there and they may try to contact them." Her lips curved almost cruelly. "Like those fools who sent out that message some months ago. Well, we put a stop to that! The last thing we need is the humans calling for help. Someone just might answer."

Diana thought fiercely. "But there could be other _Barbarosian_ on Earth. Will you warn the other commanders of that?"

"Just the commanders." Pamela stressed. "We don't need rumors running rampant through the ranks. Are there any humans that know of them?"

Diana's lips twitched. "Just Eleanor Dupres and she will say nothing. I promised her that once her grandson returns, she will be able to keep him."

The other woman nodded. "Good enough." Her smile sweetened and Diana tensed. "And how did the _Barbarosian_ find out about your plan, Diana?"

"Donovan must have double-crossed us." She said tightly. "Eleanor would never have said a thing."

Pamela picked up a knick-knack from the desk, idly turning it in her fingers. "I agree with you, on the latter at least. This Eleanor reminds me of some of our people I know. Greedy for power and willing to destroy all to get it. Give her back her grandson and perhaps even her son, once he's been properly converted, and she will be ours forever."

"The announcement ..."

"Oh, there will be an announcement. Niles has written one up that will damn the resistance even further without any mention of other alien species. As for the _Barbarosian_, you will stress to Eleanor that she is not to say a thing about them to anyone. We will let the commanders know of the possibility of_Barbarosian_ on Earth and some select, suitably converted humans as well. Any_Barbarosian_ is to be captured if possible, killed if not. Tell me, Diana, did you at least get the name this _Barbarosian_ is currently using?"

Diana sucked in air, visibly fighting to control herself. "No."

Pamela shook her head sadly. "So we know nothing more about him then we did before. Pity." The woman rose gracefully. "There will be a meeting in an hour and the special announcement in three hours." She walked out the door, not bothering to look back.

Diana glowered after her, curses she didn't dare say out loud for fear she'd rip her mask running through her mind. Moving to her desk, she scanned the surface then the drawers. Nothing looked disturbed but that meant nothing. Pamela was very clever. She settled behind the desk and typed her code into the computer.

Forty minutes later she leaned back, frowning thoughtfully. There had never been any experiments using water on any _Barbarosian_. Not surprising really, considering their planet's lack of water resources but there were detailed reports of an organ located above the _Barbarosians'_ lungs and a great deal of speculation of what it did. No one had ever even considered the possibility of it being used to breathe underwater. And as for that Legacy mark, there had been reports of a tattoo behind the captive's left ear but no indication of what it was for.

Diana looked at the computer without really seeing it. Apparently the military had information that was never passed on to the scientific community. Well, she'd see about that! For now though, she needed more information on this particular _Barbarosian_. Like it or not, she would need Steven's help for that.

She glanced at the time piece then pressed a button on her desk, ordering Steven to come at once to her office.

------------------------------------------

It was early morning when Julie stepped into the stable, surprised to see Fontana setting cross-legged on one of the long tables. He was absently carving something but glanced up as she approached.

"I wanted to catch you before you went inside." He answered her unspoken question then added. "And away from Kom as well."

"Why?" She asked bluntly and Fontana gave her a ghost of a smile as he set the carving and knife to one side.

"Because he'd be unhappy that I showed you this. And told you a few other things."

Julie groaned. "I'm getting so tired of secrets."

"Not secrets, not really." Fontana corrected. "But Kom is extremely stubborn and what you'd call hard-headed. It's unlikely he'll tell you these things himself, not until the last minute. Or maybe when it was already too late." He hesitated and Julie realized that Fontana wasn't entirely certain he wanted to tell her these things but obviously thought he had to because most likely Ham wouldn't.

The woman sighed, collapsing into the battered easy chair. 'Okay, let's hear it." She said in a resigned voice and Fontana smiled.

"It's mostly medical." He admitted and Julie's interest peaked. "It's not information we normally give out to non-Confederation species but it's stuff you may need to know. Especially given Kom's tendency to get wounded here." Fontana pretended not to notice Julie's wince. "But I don't advise trying any of this out on humans or using it to run tests on. Eventually Kom will need it and if it's not there ..." His voice trailed off and Julie felt a chill at the look in Fontana's eyes, reminding herself once again that, for all his friendliness, Fontana was as dangerous as Ham could ever be. She looked at the med case sitting on the table next to the man.

"What don't I know yet?" She asked. "So far, I've come to the conclusion that ninety percent of your medicines comes from a plant called the _kuta_."

"Almost true. More like seventy percent. And some of our deadliest poisons as well. And a very rare spice too." He grinned at the look on her face and shook his head. "Someday when this is all over, if our peoples are on speaking terms, you'll hear the story of our wonder plant, trust me. Knowing Kom, he'll probably have your name at the top of the list to study its effects on humans. But I'm wandering off the trail ..." He reached for the case. "This is what I wanted to show you."

------------------------------------------

An hour later, head still spinning from everything Fontana had told her, Julie watched as Fontana gingerly checked Ham's ears. Ham was grumbling words she couldn't understand under his breath, looking around grouchily and giving the impression he wanted to pound something. She stayed very carefully out of his reach, just in case. He glared at her balefully and she smiled sweetly back, which only made him glare harder.

"A little infection." Fontana said. "Just a very little." He added hastily at the alarmed look in Julie's eyes. "Should clear up by morning. But." He turned to Ham, signing. "You stay in for the next few days and rest."

Ham frowned, signing something sharply. Fontana shook his head firmly but that only made Ham sign something else. "Julie! Talk to him. I think you'll have to make it an order." Fontana finally said in frustration.

Julie stepped closer and gripped Ham's shoulder to get his attention but he looked away, refusing to see her. She frowned, hesitating briefly before raising her hand and dealing him a hard blow on the shoulder with the palm of her hand. He looked at her, surprised.

"You stay inside today." She ordered firmly, leaving him no doubt that it was an order. He looked at her for a moment then looked away again. Fontana, however, looked relieved.

"He'll obey."

"I hope I don't have to do that often." She shook her hand gingerly.

Fontana grinned. "Once he can hear again, you won't have to. Right now, he's being stubborn just to be stubborn. And because he thinks he can get away with it. It's been a long time since he's felt comfortable enough to act ..."

"Juvenile?" Julie supplied. Despite the oddness of the situation, a part of her was pleased to realize that Ham felt that comfortable in her presence.

"Exactly." Fontana rose and walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out a covered bowl. Ham looked up, nostrils flaring then he glanced at Julie almost apologetically. Julie was confused until Fontana removed the cover to reveal cut up chunks of raw meat.

"You went hunting last night?" Julie said in surprise and Fontana half-grinned.

"Ully and Reginald did. Kom needs the protein. What's so funny?" Fontana asked, glaring at a laughing Ham.

"He expected me to be revolted. And I am, a little, so don't start eating until I'm gone."

"No worries. I need to warm it up a little." Fontana commented. "Raw meat cold isn't so good."

Julie nodded then looked directly at Ham, speaking clearly. "The girls want to come over to say good-bye."

Ham nodded. "After we eat. An hour or so." His voice was off and too loud.

Julie nodded then turned at a sizzling sound. Fontana had dumped some of the meat in a frying pan and was stirring it lightly to brown it. The smell of cooking meat filled the air and Julie heard her stomach rumble, reminding her that a single donut did not make a very filling breakfast.

"I better go get something to eat."

Fontana nodded, scooping meat from the pan onto a plate and adding more meat to the pan. "Just a suggestion, Julie." He said, his back to them both. "You might want to have Maggie help with nursing Kom once I've left."

"Maggie? Why ..." She paused, glancing at Ham but he was intent on the meat and didn't notice her thoughtful look. It occurred to her that he had no idea what Fontana had just said.

"Just a thought." Fontana turned to shove a plate of steaming meat across the table to Ham, along with a fork. Ham scowled at the fork but took it up and used it to spear up the meat. Fontana set a tall glass of milk down before looking directly at Julie, his expression innocent. "She seems to get along very well with Kom. I think he'll listen to her."

Julie studied him for a long moment, "Yeah, I think he will. I'll see what I can set up. I better get going. Later." She slipped from the RV, closing the door behind her then leaning against it, her thoughts churning.

"You look like you're having an epiphany." Reginald sat on the back of the sofa, balancing a feather on his nose. He snorted, sending it into the air then maneuvering to catch it once more.

"I think I am." Julie shook her head hard to clear it of confusing thoughts. "That isn't one of Ully's feathers, is it?"

"Hah! Hardly. Found it somewhere. You did good, by the way, securing the saloon. I could get in only by way of the roof and Alice caught me coming down. Woman has an odd sense of humor."

"Not going there. And Ully?"

"He got in only by camouflaging himself. Of course, we're a lot smaller and smarter then anything the _phrashi_ could send."

"True." She stopped, struck by a sudden thought. "Do they ..."

"No, they don't have anything like us. They may have spy machines but nothing as clever or as flexible ... or as handsome ... as us." He snorted the feather back into the air and watched regretfully as the wind caught it up and spun it away.

Julie laughed, mostly in relief.

"So how's Kom doing?"

"Grumpy."

"That's why I'm out here and not in there."

"Smart." Julie started for the doors.

"He'll be all right. They're a tough species. And it isn't your fault, you know."

Julie stopped dead then turned and walked back to the sofa.

"That is what you're thinking, isn't it? You should have seen something, you should have done something." The fox looked up at her. "The question is, what should you have seen? What should you have done?"

Julie opened her mouth to answer then closed it.

"Exactly. What is the Earth saying? '_Hindsight is twenty-twenty._' Besides, we both know whose fault this is. Speaking of which ..." The fox looked toward the door and Julie turned to see Donovan walk in.

Donovan frowned at the fox before turning his attention to Julie. "How's he doing?"

Julie gently but firmly wrapped her hand around the fox's muzzle. "As well as can be expected." She said pleasantly, ignoring the sound of wheezing coming from under her hand. "He can't hear a thing and he's hurting badly, not to mention that he's grouchy as hell and taking it out on poor Fontana."

"Can't ... breathe ..." The fox mumbled.

"You don't breathe." Julie pointed out, releasing his muzzle.

"Oh, right."

"I highly recommend you stay away from the stable, at least until Fontana's gone. Ham's hurting too badly to do much damage but Fontana's capable of doing quite a bit. And I doubt Ham would bother trying to call him off."

"And you?"

Julie threw him a surprised look. "I have no authority to call Fontana off, Mike. He won't listen to me. He barely listens to Ham."

"Smart woman." Reginald said approvingly.

Donovan turned his attention to the fox. "You wouldn't know anything about a dead rat in my bed?" He asked crossly.

"Dead rat? No, of course not. That must have been Ully. I go more for live snakes." He gave Donovan a sharp-toothed grin.

"I'm going to keep sleeping out in the main body of the trailer until you guys are gone." Julie broke in. "No live snakes. No dead ones either."

"Party-pooper." The fox muttered as he jumped down onto the sofa and then to the floor. He trotted out the door, muttering something about a stolen feather.

"First my clothes are all torn up and now there's a dead rat on the bed!" Donovan said in disgust.

"If it weren't a rat, I'd say it was Polly but she's gotten rather fond of Ham's PularSinge stories." There was no sympathy in Julie's voice. "Don't worry. They're leaving tonight. Then you just have to worry about Ham."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning nothing actually. I don't think Ham intends any revenge." She ignored the muffled 'hah!' that came from the eavesdropping fox. "He's a professional and he's going to act like a professional. Even if it means working with a man who very nearly got him killed."

"Captured, tortured, declawed, blinded, crippled ..."

"Reginald!"

"Yes?" The fox popped his head around the corner, looking as innocent as a fox possibly could. "My feather's gone. Have you seen it?"

"It blew away." She walked over to pick him up.

"Hey! Dangling feet! That's better." The fox settled into Julie's arms. "They're packing the van up."

Julie glanced toward the trailer to see that Robert and Father Andrew were indeed packing up the van.

"Yeah, I was wondering about that." Donovan came up behind her.

Julie looked around and then stepped back into the stable, tugging Donovan back with her. "The official story is that Robin and the girls are going to Chicago to live with an old friend of Linda's until the baby's born. They'll hook up with Fontana some miles away. Them going off-world isn't something everyone needs to know."

"Of course, we are assuming they don't already know." The fox gave Donovan a hard look and the man gritted his teeth but before he could make a sharp retort, he realized Julie was looking at him with pretty close to the same expression.

"Hey! You know me better then that!"

"I did. Once." Julie shook her head. "Like it or not, Mike, it's going to take awhile before I can ever completely trust you again. The only reason I'm telling you this is because you already know about the baby's parentage and the girls leaving. All I ... we ... can do is hope you didn't tell your mother about any of this."

"Or anyone else, for that matter. Like maybe that scaly buddy of yours." Reginald spoke up.

Donovan flushed angrily. "Julie, I haven't mentioned anything to anyone inside or outside the group. The Visitors found out about Tyler on their own. In fact, I kinda got the impression that he's the only one they know about."

"I suspect he's the only one they know about for certain." Reginald said then he grinned. "But I bet the old rumors are flying." The fox stopped suddenly, looking thoughtful. "You know, that's not a bad idea ..." His voice faded.

"What's not a bad idea?" Julie asked as the fox's silence stretched on.

"Uh? Oh. Generating rumors about who might be on this planet. It may keep the Visitors off-balance. Put me down please, I need to find Ully. Thank you." The fox started across the street then darted to one side with a whooped 'Hey! My feather!'. Snatching up the wayward feather, the fox ran across the street and into the saloon. The guards only gave him a passing look as he ran under the door.

"I thought the guards were supposed to keep unauthorized people out of the saloon." Donovan asked resentfully.

"If we're having a meeting, yes. We're still using the main room for other things. And the back rooms are off-limits." She started for the van. "Besides, Ully and Reginald have been testing out our security systems."

"You trust them to do that?"

"At this time, Mike, I don't have a reason not too. Everything set?" Julie asked Robert.

"Yeah. They'll be leaving in an hour, hour and a half. They want to see Ham first. And Polly wants to return his medallion."

"He said to send them over in about an hour. He should be done eating by then and cleaned up. Did you manage to get the translating done?

"We put together an alphabet and a guide to translating so we should be able to translate anything that's in the Visitors' main language. Anything in dialect we won't be able to handle."

There was a sudden shout and a series of curses that sent the four of them spinning around, reaching for weapons. Hansen was glaring after a speeding Reginald, who was running for them full-out. Ignoring Hansen, the fox tried to stop but ended up skidding into the van's wheel, bouncing off to sprawl in the dirt. That didn't stop him from passing on the message he carried.

"You might want to get into the saloon, Julie. The Visitors are making an announcement."

"Damn!" They ran for the saloon. After a moment, Reginald rolled back to his feet and followed.

Maybe a quarter of the adult population of the camp crowded into the room and around the television set above the bar. On the small screen, a broadly smiling Eleanor was speaking but Julie missed what she was saying when Ully muttered a question almost in her ear.

"Who's that?"

"Eleanor Dupres. Visitor spokesperson. Mike's mother." She muttered back.

"Well, that explains a lot." Reginald's voice came from about ankle-high and Julie took a sharp step backwards. Reginald yelped as she came down firmly on his paw and he glowered up at her.

"Quiet, both of you. I need to hear this." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Donovan flush and knew he had heard what the fox had said but she had no time to soothe his feelings as she listened to the announcement.

" ... first shipment of the planet-saving chemicals are now leaving the planet." A cutaway scene of a Visitor mothership leaving the airspace above what looked like Tokyo filled the screen. "Ten of the motherships will be leaving Earth's orbit and returning to their home world today, bearing within them millions of tons of the chemical that will help save their world."

"Eh gads. Someone get me an airsick bag." Ully said as John appeared on the screen. "Is she always so ..."

"Vapid?" Reginald offered.

"That works."

"She's smart." Julie said. "Which is one of the things that makes her so dangerous."

"Along with greedy, power-hungry, and totally without a conscience." Robert supplied.

"Yes, those pesky things do tend to get in the way." Reginald jumped up onto a barstool and then onto the bar to sit down. "Ten motherships ... how many humans per ship?"

"Maybe ten thousand." Donovan answered. "A hundred thousand humans." He threw Reginald a resentful look. "Can't the Confederation do anything?"

"Like what?" Reginald said in a reasonable tone. "The Visitors aren't stupid enough to go into Confederation territory. If they did, they could be stopped and searched ... trust me, there are Arbitrator ships patrolling our borders just waiting for the chance. No, they are skirting around Confederation territory and the beings whose territory they are going through aren't powerful enough to do anything about it."

"On the upside, them having to go around our territory puts at least a year's travel onto the itinerary." Ully, now a metallic silver, said from his perch near Robert.

"So there's no way the Confederation can do anything?" Donovan persisted.

"Not without a legitimate excuse to stop and search Visitor ships outside of our territory." Absently the fox trapped his tail with a paw and studied the white tip intently. "The Confederation may be one of the strongest, most powerful entities in the known universe but that doesn't give us the right to run roughshod over other planets and entities. We have to respect the borders. Trust me when I say interplanetary war is not fun. We had one once, we prefer never to have another. What was that?" The fox looked at the television. Eleanor was looking suitably grim as she spoke.

" ... a terrorist attack on a small factory outside Los Angeles destroyed vital components for the cure for cancer given to us by the Visitors ... "

"She's talking about the warehouse." Caleb said in disgust.

"What damn cure?" His son said at the same time.

" ... several lives were lost in the attack, which was apparently lead by the LA group lead by this woman ..." A picture of Julie flashed on the screen. "... Juliet Parrish and ... " A look of profound sadness followed by righteous indignation crossed the woman's face. "... Michael Donovan." A picture of Donovan appeared next to Julie's.

"Apparently they haven't heard of the new pecking order." Ully mussed.

"Hush. Something's missing here." Reginald stood up and moved closer to the screen, watching until the announcement had ended and regular programming returned. "She should have been an actress." The fox grunted. "Interesting. They didn't mention Kom. Or the fact that there are aliens other than them on this planet."

"Is that good or bad?" Robert asked.

"Fifty-fifty. Having it public knowledge would have caused you problems but my guess is that it would have caused them even more, in the long run. On the other hand, it could fit nicely into my suggestion." Jumping down from the bar, Reginald trotted over to a nearby table and jumped onto it by way of a pulled-out chair. He nosed papers aside until he found the one he wanted. Pulling it out, he looked around. "Here, do we really need an audience?"

Julie looked around. "People! Back to what you were doing! Aren't you supposed to be on sentry duty?" She asked Hansen sharply and the man flushed. She watched as people left the saloon until only a handful remained. "And your suggestion is?"

"A pretty good one." Caleb sat down. "I'm surprised we didn't think of it sooner, except that we were trying to keep the fact that Ham was alien under wraps." He waved a hand at the paper Reginald had in his mouth. "Rumors."

Julie took the offered paper and ran an eye over it.

"Here's the plan." Reginald pointed a paw at Donovan. "You have a hotline into the Fifth Column. So you take these rumors and a few more we're working on and get them to your contact. She ..."

"He." Donovan corrected.

Reginald snorted and Robert grinned. "Fine, _he_ can spread them out to the other motherships so different rumors appear in different places. Then they let them leak, a few at a time. The rumors will spread and there'll be more then a few Visitors jumping at shadows."

"I like that plan." Elias said approvingly. "Should we spread them too?"

Reginald started to speak then paused, looking thoughtful. "Might not be a bad idea. Humans shouldn't know about anything on that list but maybe a human could hint to a Visitor that she'd overheard other Visitors talking about something ... maybe make a joke out of it."

Elias grinned, looking at the list over Julie's shoulder. "Yeah. I can see some great possibilities here."

"Is Coyote really in St. Louis?" Julie asked in a bemused tone.

"Actually, last I heard he was in New York, along with, Trinity help us all, Herself." That brought an alarmed squawk from Ully but Reginald ignored him as he continued hastily. "But don't mention Herself. As for the locations, we only want to spread uncertainty among the Visitors, not tell them where anyone is. That's why everything is so vague. Though some of them have a hint of truth in them. The Piper is in Australia but Australia's a big place and I doubt they could find him, even if they looked. Which I doubt they would. They believe, quite wrongly, that he doesn't exist. Hawk is on Earth ... kinda. Coyote is here ... somewhere. In fact, it wouldn't hurt to have the rumor change so some say he's in St. Louis and others in Seattle ... you get the drift."

"Why would things like this bother the Visitors?" Maggie asked.

"Because despite the various Leaders' best attempts over the last several centuries, they would never have been able to eradicate all the old stories and legends. And you know how such things grow over the centuries. Admit it. Wouldn't you wonder, just a little, if you heard from a reliable source that Dracula was currently touring North America?"

"Dracula's fiction." Donovan pointed out.

"But Vlad the Impaler is not." Robert countered. "And that's where Dracula came from. A story about a mad ruler who killed tens of thousands becomes the story of an undead creature who drinks blood. When ... whatever it was happened centuries ago, the stories and tales the Confederation brought with them would have stayed on." Robert began to pace, eyes glinting with thought. "And they most likely would have been changed to reflect the Visitors' changing views of the Confederation. Heroes would have become villains; simple abilities would have been transformed into great and evil powers. They would have become the bad guys."

"So we start dropping hints that they are here, on Earth. Or on their way." Julie said approvingly. "Or maybe even just interested with what's going on with Earth."

"But carefully." Reginald cautioned. "The rumors have to deal with individuals. The Confederation should never be mentioned. And neither can smugglers or goods being brought to Earth. Run them past Kom first, if you can."

"But the high-ups will just deny everything." Donovan pointed out.

"They can deny all they want." Reginald snorted. "These rumors will be spread among the underlings and the grunts. By the time those in command find out, Visitors will be jumping at shadows all over the place." The fox absently began to pace, forehead crinkled in thought. "In fact you might ... oooooff!" There was a crash as Reginald walked off the table and tumbled to the floor. Ully, shrieking with laughter, barely recovered in time to flap out of the fox's reach.

"You might want to pace on the floor." Julie suggested, barely managing to keep a straight face.

"Yeah, right." The fox muttered, glowering up at the still snickering hawk. "Where was I? Right. It might not be a bad idea to spread the rumor that there is a _Barbarosian_ with your group."

"Would that be safe?" Julie asked.

"I don't know." The fox admitted. "You should talk to Kom about it first. But it's more then likely the rumor is already spreading. There were troopers at the warehouse, right?" Reginald asked Donovan.

"Yeah."

"You really think they're not going to say anything? No matter how scared they may be of Diana, someone's going to whisper the news that a_Barbarosian_ is on Earth to a friend." He shook himself. "Linda and I are going to work out some more appropriate rumors. You'll have to run them past Kom first."

"And then we'll get them to spreading." Elias grinned.

Julie nodded as she set the paper back down. "Did you get all the depositions together?" She looked at Father Andrew.

"Yeah. Ham's been going though them. He'll bundle them up and have them ready before we leave."

"That's what those were for?" Donovan said, surprised. Alice, Linda, and Robin had gone around a day or two ago, handing out writing material and requesting that everyone write out a deposition about what they knew about the Visitors and what the Visitors had done to them. Some were heartbreakingly short, like Katie's simple "They killed my mommy" while others were long and detailed. Julie had spent hours on hers, detailing everything she could remember of the conversion process, sometimes writing through a blur of tears. She hadn't wanted to write it down but Father Andrew had insisted, almost bullying her through it, telling her that she was the only one available who had gone through the process and therefore the only one who could write about it. Write everything about it, no matter how much it might hurt. Besides, he had continued in a gentler voice, it would make her feel better. And, to her surprise, it had.

"We're making copies to keep for here, to hide away someplace safe but yes, that's what they're for. Ham thought it would help. We've got depositions from outside the group as well. The Bernsteins, some others. And, you may not believe this, but we got one from Willie as well."

"Willie?" Donovan said in surprise.

"He wanted to write one out telling everything they were told about Earth and humans. Father Andrew will take them with him, to present to the Confederation."

"Will they do any good?"

"I don't know." Julie looked at the fox, who was making it a point to look elsewhere. "Reginald?"

After a moment, Reginald met her eyes with an odd shrug. "Relatively speaking, Kom's family has a great deal of influence. His mother runs a planet, one grandfather is the Master of the Smugglers Guild, the other was the Commander of the Garrison for decades. There have been three members of the Four Quarters in their line. His brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles populate high positions all over the Confederation. But they are still only one family. They can only try."

"Well, that's all we can ask for." Julie sighed.


	17. Interlude Twelve B

**Starting the night after Part Twelve ends and ending the next mid-day**

Ham sat on the roof of the roof of the whorehouse, looking toward the skies. It was maybe two o'clock in the morning, way past curfew but he didn't care. He was finding himself missing Fontana more then he thought he would.

They had left as soon as it got dark, going first to meet up with Father Andrew and then to the ship, taking the truck that Fontana had brought, now loaded down with the citrus Elias and Paul had managed to get. Ully, now pitch black with glow-in-the-dark crimson highlights, had flown above them, doing a very bad rendition of the 'Ride of the Valkyries'. Robert and Chris had gone along as well, Robert for a last good-bye with his daughters and Chris to drive the truck back. As much as they hated to do it, the van would have to be abandoned. Ham had wanted to go but Fontana had insisted he stay. The infection in his ears was minor but the danger of deafness was very real and neither of them wanted to take a chance.

He stared into the darkness. Absently he drew his legs up, wrapping his arms around them. The night was cooler then usual and he found himself shivering ever now and again, despite the heavy jacket he wore. He felt something crinkle in his shirt pocket and he smiled, remembering the girls coming into the stable to say good-bye. They had had to write out what they wanted to say and afterwards Polly had remained behind a little longer. Pulling out the piece of paper, he unfolded it to read what Polly had written once everyone else had left.

_You should just tell her._

And underneath, in response to his surprised look.

_You look at her sometime like my dad used to look at my mom._

Guess he wasn't hiding it as well as he thought. He folded the paper back up then jerked as a hand touched his shoulder. He looked up at Maggie in surprise.

"Sorry." She said, speaking slowly. "Still can't hear?"

He shook his head, slipping the paper back into his pocket. "Not yet." And, he thought, the wind was blowing in the wrong direction.

Maggie offered him the blanket she carried. He smiled his thanks as he wrapped it around himself, watching as she sat down next to him and pulled a pen and pad of paper from her jacket pocket.

"This night air can't be good for your ears." She both said and wrote.

"Maybe not. But I can't sleep." He smiled at her worried look. "I'll go to bed soon." He promised. "What are you still doing up anyway?"

Maggie shrugged. "Just got in. Didn't feel like going to sleep." She looked out over the camp.

Ham found himself watching her, realizing that she had just gotten in from a 'date'. She must have showered first thing, since he couldn't pick up that damned dragon bait's scent on her at all. He suddenly found himself chuckling.

Maggie blinked at the sound and looked over at the man. She prodded him gently with an elbow. "What?"

"I was just thinking of Polly's reaction when she heard some of the men referring to Bernstein as a 'rat bastard'. She considered it highly insulting to rats and told them so in no uncertain terms." He saw the confusion on her face and grinned. "That's right. You weren't here."

Sudden realization appeared on Maggie's face. "That's why they call him dragon bait now, isn't it?"

Ham nodded.

"I wondered where that came from." She glanced sidelong at the man. "Is it a Confederation term? Like _phrashi_?" No one knew what the latter word meant but it was obviously very nasty and many folks now used it. It was easier then their species name, which Ham had said was something like _Hriisherii_, and more accurate then the English term they had chosen to use.

"Yeah." To her surprise, he continued. "Their then leader, Xon, was the Dragon, you see, eight hundred years ago. We use the term to remind them of that."

Maggie stared at him, seeing little of the hardness they had known in the first few weeks he'd been with them. She found herself wondering ...

"Penny for your thoughts." Ham said suddenly and she jumped. He turned his head to look at her, his dark eyes serious.

"They're not worth that much." But after a moment she moved to sit facing him, to make it easier for him to read her lips. "I was wondering ... what would have happened if Fontana hadn't been here the last couple weeks." Ham looked confused and she smiled slightly, trying to clarify what she meant. "What would you be like, if he hadn't been here?"

Ham stared at her in obvious surprise then his eyes grew distant as he thought over her question. "I don't know. Probably the way I was when I first came to this group."

"Hard, cold, closed off." Maggie said quietly, remembering Chris' words from the day before.

"You forgot Donovan's favorites." There was an odd bitterness in Ham's voice. "Unfeeling, stone-cold killer, inhuman ... owwww! You need to trim those nails!" He looked at the woman but there was no amusement on her face, just a grim almost angry look.

"You sound as if you believe what Donovan says about you." She said curtly.

Ham drew back from her anger, feeling something tighten inside him. "If you hear them enough ..." His voice faltered and he looked away, suddenly feeling emotionally naked.

Maggie poked him and then poked him again even harder until he once again centered his attention on her. "And now that Fontana's gone, are you planning on reverting back to the man you were before?"

"I don't know." There was real doubt in his voice. "I don't know if I'll have a choice."

"Why?" She demanded, sensing that Ham was dangerously close to the edge. "It's not who you are."

"Then who am I?" Maggie was struck by the desperation in Ham's voice and by the realization that he really wasn't sure any longer. "The human, Ham Tyler? Or Komees Ihn'e, the _Barbarosian_?"

Maggie reached out and grabbed his nearest hand firmly with one hand, using the other to grasp his chin, forcing him look at her. "You're both. Whether you stay on Earth or return home, you'll still be both. For the past couple weeks, you've managed to balance yourself between the two ..."

"Having Fontana here helped. Having him here ..." Having Fontana here had given him the illusion, however thin, of being among his own people again. With him gone, the illusion vanished, leaving him surrounded by beings that, no matter how close the physical similarities or how long he had lived among them, were still alien to him.

"Now you need to merge them." She smiled slightly. "Preferably the better parts of both."

She was rewarded with a slight smile. "Everything's so ... raw and open. Like an unhealed wound." Ham fumbled, unable to explain how he felt but feeling the need to do so. "Part of me just wants to bury everything again. It would just be so much easier ..."

Maggie snorted. "An amputation rather then a healing ... the easy way out. Have you ever taken the easy way out?"

Ham's eyes widened at her words, realizing that she was right. "No." He admitted. "I don't think I ever have." His hand tightened on hers. "Thank you."

Uncaring of the claws, her hand tightened on his and Ham felt the unstable foundation of his self-image settle until he was once again on solid ground. The self-doubts that had plagued him eased. He had enemies here, yes, and would continue to have them but he had friends as well. Friends who didn't care that he was different.

"What are friends for?" Maggie asked and he almost laughed. He reached out in an almost absent-minded gesture to touch her lightly on the cheek, his wrist brushing her chin then abruptly he let his hand drop and looked away, obviously embarrassed.

Maggie looked at him in surprise, trying to reason out what just happened. After a moment, she smiled. Turning the hand she still held over, she touched his inner wrist lightly then looked up at him. "Scent glands." Then she paused, flustered by the look in his eyes. She abruptly released his hand, suddenly all too aware of its warmth, and sat back, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"I'm sorry." Ham said. "I didn't mean ... no one else here can smell it." He attempted a thin smile. "Fontana did a lot of good here but he wreaked havoc with my self-control."

"As long as you don't end up over-controlling yourself again." Maggie shifted until she was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder to him, turning her head to continue talking with him. "Will we see them leave?"

"Hmmmm?" Ham looked confused before realizing what she was referring to. "Oh. No. They'll go out into the ocean, as far away from all the motherships as they can, before taking off."

"And the others ... when should they be back?"

Ham shook his head. "Depends on how far away Doro was hiding ... which must not have been too far away." There was relief in his voice and Maggie looked to where he was looking. The truck was just coming into sight. "There they are."

"Good. Let's get down from this roof."

Ham laughed and rose, stopping for a moment until his balance returned. Once he was sure of his footing, he looked down at the message Maggie had just written. _Maybe you should stay off of rooftops until you're sure of your balance!_

He grinned. "Maybe. Let's go. Yes, down the stairs."

Ham wasn't surprised to see Julie already out in the street, waiting for the returning vehicles. Donovan was with her, along with a few others. Still holding the blanket wrapped around himself, Ham moved to Julie's far side.

"I'm fine." He muttered at her look of concern then scowled at Maggie, who was pointedly shaking her head. The two women crossed their arms and glared at him until he looked away. He was beginning to wonder what Fontana may have told them both. He would have wondered even more if he'd seen the look they exchanged the moment he wouldn't notice.

Donovan saw the exchange though and frowned, wondering what was going on. While he and Julie had talked a great deal over the last couple days there were some things she refused to discuss, mainly concerning Tyler. 'Some things,' she had said pointedly. 'Have to stay a secret.' And he had flushed; reminded once again that she no longer trusted him as she had before.

Julie shook her head and poked Ham sharply in the side. "Inside." She ordered firmly then gave him a pointed shove toward the stable when he opened his mouth to protest. "I want to check your ears." Unable to argue with that, Ham turned and trudged toward the stable, Julie following. "Send Robert over, will you, Mike?"

"Sure." Donovan watched as Julie and Ham vanished into the RV.

"Sit." Julie ordered and Ham sank into the nearest chair, watching as she prepared a solution of dried _kuta_.

"Not the blue." He protested.

Julie stirred the contents of the glass vigorously. "You need to sleep." Fontana had told her that there was an added ingredient in the blue packets that would help a _Barbarosian_ sleep. "We'll keep an eye out; make sure you don't get an infection. Here."

Ham took the glass from her, eying her thoughtfully. "What all did Fontana tell you?"

"He just gave me some helpful advice on how to handle you, if need be. Apparently extreme stubbornness is a family trait. Now drink." She ordered firmly.

Ham smiled slightly, remembering all the times his mother had said those words, usually concerning his father and usually in much stronger language. He drank down the contents of the glass, setting the now-empty glass on the counter nearby. It wouldn't actually put him to sleep but once he laid down, it would be easier for him to go to sleep and stay asleep. On the other hand, it did give him a pleasant enough buzz that he barely noticed Julie checking his ears.

He frowned as she got his attention by poking him again. "Have you and Maggie been comparing notes?" He said crossly. "I'm gonna get a bruise there, you two keep that up."

Julie smiled. Fontana had also mentioned that what was in the blue packet of dried_kuta_ tended to make some _Barbarosians_ high. Ham apparently fell into this group. "How do you feel?"

"Buzzed. As undoubtedly Fontana mentioned would happen." At her stern look, he continued on a more serious note. "I ache all over, my upper back is killing me, I still can't use my claws fully, it hurts to breathe too deeply. I still can't hear but at least my ears aren't hurting. Pretty much the only things that aren't hurting." He grumbled.

"So stay inside today and tonight and rest. All day and all night." She glared down his protest. "We need you well, Ham. As soon as possible." Her look softened. "And if you need anything, just ask."

"Yeah, okay. Thanks." He said after a moment.

Julie started at a knock on the RV's door. She opened it to see Robert there. He offered her a metal briefcase and then a case similar to the med kit sitting open nearby. "Fontana sent some things special." He said as he climbed in, shutting the door behind him.

"That's his med kit." Ham said sharply and Robert grimaced.

"I figured that but he insisted we take it." He spoke slowly enough for Ham to understand him. Ham frowned but there wasn't anything they could do about it now.

"How'd it go?" Julie asked.

"Smoothly." Robert sank into a chair. "Doro helped. Does she always look like a humanoid lady fox?"

Ham grinned as he figured out what Robert was talking about. "Fontana has a thing for ladies with red hair and green eyes."

Robert arched an eyebrow. "Okay. I'm not going there."

"Smart." Julie muttered. "And this?" She prodded at the metal briefcase with her foot.

"Fontana sent it back, said to give it directly to Ham."

Interested, Ham reached for the case but Julie grabbed his wrist firmly. "Later." He hesitated then nodded.

"Later." He agreed.

"Bed." She continued and Ham grinned wickedly.

"Is that an order or an offer?"

She glared at him narrow-eyed, aware of Robert trying to smother his laughter. They both knew Ham wasn't serious or rather he was but not in the way most people would assume.

"Behave!" She ordered sternly then she grinned. "You might want to remember that Fontana told me a number of very interesting things."

Ham stared at her. "He always did talk too much." He muttered crossly, gingerly reaching down to untie his sneakers.

Julie touched his shoulder gently. "I'll come over later."

He nodded and Julie turned to leave the RV, glancing at Robert as she opened the door.

"I'll be out in a minute." He turned to see Ham looking at him inquiringly. "Fontana asked me to give this to you." He pulled a box the size of his hand from his pocket and offered it to the other man. Surprised, Ham took it.

"Thanks."

Robert grinned and slipped from the RV to join Julie.

------------------------------------------

"What we got?" Julie asked, all business now as she watched the truck being unloaded.

"Weapons, ammo, and more of those chain mail vests in the truck. The real interesting stuff is here." Robert pointed toward a neat row of boxes and pouches. "A run down of who's doing what where. More or less. Plus some other things."

Julie nodded. "We'll lock this stuff up right away. Mike, Elias, give us a hand, will you?" She gathered up an armload of stuff, stepping back to let the others do the same before leading them into the saloon. She didn't go to the little office but to another small windowless room just beyond it. There, much to Donovan's surprise, was a huge safe.

"Where did that come from?"

"I don't know and I'm afraid to ask." Setting her load on a nearby table, Julie spun the dial then carefully worked the combination. Pulling the door open, she started to stack everything inside. "Rico and Nick found it somewhere and hauled it here the other day. They thought it might be useful." Once everything was safely inside, she closed the door and spun the dial several times. "Now I think we better all get to bed. It's been a long couple of days."

------------------------------------------

Ham lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, the unopened box resting on his chest. The total silence of the last several hours was more upsetting then he liked to admit. A part of him even now strained to hear something, anything but nothing came through. After several minutes of attempting to hear something, he forced himself to stop, concluding that it was not good for his peace of mind.

His hearing would come back, he had to believe that and if it meant actually following the doctor's orders for that to happen, he would. He looked around the RV, seeing all the items once in the loft stowed neatly away. Fontana had brought everything down; even the quilt that had covered their makeshift bed and Ham drew it close, feeling an unexpected pang of loneliness. Fontana's scent still clung to the quilt and the faint musk of sex and lust as well. It had been so long since he had had a lover ...

Ham shook himself free of that thought, knowing that dwelling on that was almost as bad as his attempts to hear. He reached for the box and flipped it open, looking inside. After a long moment, he smiled.

------------------------------------------

_Slowly she stepped from the box, delicately setting her foot on the quilt. Then another foot. And a third and fourth before she ran out of feet. Ruby eyes blinked as she looked up at her new person, disappointed that he was already falling back to sleep. She tentatively prodded him then resigned herself to amusing herself. What could she do ..._

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It was maybe mid-afternoon when Maggie cautiously opened the door, peering into the RV. When Julie had asked her to check on Ham, she had been leery. Few people were allowed into the RV but Julie had mentioned she'd managed to slip him a double whammy of a nighttime dose, almost guaranteeing him sleeping for a good eighteen hours or longer. And she had been busy sorting through what the New York group had sent so, finally, Maggie had agreed.

Stepping into the RV, she was surprised at how clean it looked. A pair of bachelors ... but then Alice had been living here for a time. She moved as softly as she could toward the bed in the back, stopping when Ham turned toward her, afraid that she woken him up. But no, he was just rolling over in his sleep, probably in response to catching her scent. At least he didn't consider her a threat or he would be trying to wake up no matter how big the dose.

Involuntarily, she smiled. She couldn't help but reflect that he looked nothing like the man who had first appeared in their previous headquarters. In sleep, the sharp foreboding features seemed to soften. With his dark hair too long and tangled, beard just starting to grow back, and crescent-shaped scar hidden in the recesses of the pillow, Ham looked incredibly young and yet he was older then any human, and quite possibly any Visitor, on Earth. But what was it Robert had said? Among his own people, Ham was considered young. It was best to continue to think of him as thirty-something, the age he looked.

Reaching out, she touched his cheek lightly, thankful to find it cool to her touch. If major infection set in, he'd have a fever. Before she could draw her hand away, Ham turned his head, nuzzling against the palm of her hand in a fashion that reminded her of a cat she used to have. She hesitated then rested her hand lightly on his cheek. He sighed contently, rubbing almost absently against her hand, the bristle of emerging beard scrapping her skin.

With a quiet laugh, Maggie pulled her hand away then yelped and jumped back, blinking in surprise. He had bitten her! She glanced down at her hand but the skin wasn't broken, though there were indentations visible. Well, that was a lot like that cat as well. Whenever she had stopped fussing over Muggles when Muggles didn't want her to stop, the cat would nip her lightly.

She looked at Ham again, seeing his now-restless movements. She hadn't woken him up but it was apparent his sleep was disturbed. He had a frown on his face as he shifted uneasily. What was it Chris had said ... something to do with scent? She hesitated then reached up to pull the bandanna from her neck. Shaking it out, she laid it next to Ham's head, a part of her wondering what she thought she was doing, another part of her somehow knowing it was the right thing to do.

Ham took a deep breath then relaxed, smiling slightly in his sleep. Maggie smiled as well, making sure he really was asleep before looking around, noting the half-empty pitcher of ice water nearby and an empty plate as well. Obviously he'd woken up enough to get food and water and then gone back to sleep. Fontana had recommended that he sleep as much as possible over the next couple days. He probably wouldn't go into the healing sleep but just sleep itself would help a lot.

Picking up the plate, Maggie stepped into the small kitchen area to wash it, setting it carefully in the drain to dry before looking around. There was nothing more she could do except to report to Julie and she turned to the door, slipping back out and closing it firmly behind her, not once noticing the gleam of tiny ruby eyes watching her every movement.


	18. End Notes

As you can see, this story basically follows the original version then takes an abrupt turn in a vastly different direction. Essentially this story is the same as you saw on TV up until Julie's rescue. Then something happens to change the story. While some things that occurred in the mini-series will occur here, don't be watching for them.

Book Two is outlined (doesn't mean I'll actually follow the outline) and rough outlines have been done for Book Three/Four.

At various times while writing Book One, I considered the following options:

having Ruby survive (discarded because the story started after her death).

having Mark survive the water plant raid.

having Maggie get injured instead of Mark, in which case Tyler would have gotten her away while Mark covered their escape. This didn't occur to me until after the part was written and posted.

having Tyler caught in the water plant explosion and ending up in the water, which would have revealed his ability to breath underwater much sooner, along with his people's tendency for deafness.

having Tyler find out about the plan to trade him for Sean much earlier but waiting it out to see what Donovan would do. An advance reader pointed out how unlikely this would be. Tyler would be more inclined to angrily confront Donovan right off. After thinking it through, I was inclined to agree, especially with Ham being so off-balance both mentally and emotionally at that time.

having more anti-alien/homophobic instances. I found I just wasn't good at writing such scenes, though there will be more written about both in later parts.

having Reginald and/or Ully remain behind. But that would have been against the Rules.

Originally, Fontana and Ham were not going to become lovers. It just happened.

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PLEASE NOTE: This story appears in it's entirety at my site with such added features as styling, graphics, and an xxx-rated interlude, all of which are not included here. 


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